📄 Description (English)
OpenClaw before 2026.3.11 contains an authorization bypass vulnerability in the gateway agent RPC that allows authenticated operators with operator.write permission to override workspace boundaries by supplying attacker-controlled spawnedBy and workspaceDir values. Remote operators can escape the configured workspace boundary and execute arbitrary file and exec operations from any process-accessible directory.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2026-33573 is a critical authorization bypass vulnerability in OpenClaw's gateway agent RPC that allows authenticated operators with operator.write permissions to escape workspace boundaries and execute arbitrary file and command operations. With a CVSS score of 8.8, this vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations using OpenClaw for infrastructure automation and process management. No patch is currently available, requiring immediate implementation of compensating controls and access restrictions.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 23, 2026 05:17
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily impacts Saudi organizations in critical sectors: (1) Government agencies and NCA using OpenClaw for infrastructure automation and process orchestration; (2) Banking and financial institutions (SAMA-regulated) utilizing OpenClaw for backend automation and DevOps operations; (3) Energy sector (ARAMCO and subsidiaries) relying on OpenClaw for industrial process management; (4) Telecommunications providers (STC, Mobily) using OpenClaw for network automation; (5) Healthcare organizations using OpenClaw for system administration. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous as it affects authenticated operators, meaning insider threats or compromised operator credentials could lead to complete system compromise and lateral movement across infrastructure.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government and Public Administration (NCA, NCSC)
Banking and Financial Services (SAMA-regulated institutions)
Energy and Utilities (ARAMCO, oil & gas operations)
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily, Zain)
Healthcare and Medical Services
Critical Infrastructure Management
Cloud Service Providers operating in Saudi Arabia
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1548 - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism (authorization bypass)
T1548.004 - Elevated Execution with Prompt (privilege escalation via operator permissions)
T1611 - Escape to Host (workspace boundary escape)
T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter (arbitrary command execution)
T1083 - File and Directory Discovery (unauthorized file access)
T1087 - Account Discovery (operator credential exploitation)
T1078 - Valid Accounts (authenticated operator abuse)
T1021 - Remote Service Session Initiation (RPC gateway exploitation)
T1070 - Indicator Removal (log tampering via file operations)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.5
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Audit all OpenClaw deployments and identify instances running versions before 2026.3.11
2. Review access logs for any suspicious RPC calls with unusual spawnedBy or workspaceDir parameters
3. Restrict operator.write permissions to only essential personnel and implement principle of least privilege
4. Disable remote operator access if not absolutely required; use local-only access where possible
5. Implement network segmentation to isolate OpenClaw gateway agents from sensitive systems
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (until patch available):
6. Deploy WAF/IDS rules to detect and block RPC requests containing path traversal patterns (../, absolute paths outside workspace)
7. Implement file integrity monitoring on workspace directories to detect unauthorized modifications
8. Enable comprehensive audit logging for all RPC gateway operations with alerting on suspicious parameters
9. Use OS-level access controls to restrict OpenClaw process permissions to designated workspace directories only
10. Implement API rate limiting and request validation on gateway RPC endpoints
DETECTION RULES:
- Alert on RPC calls with spawnedBy values not matching expected operator identities
- Monitor for workspaceDir parameters containing path traversal sequences or absolute paths
- Track process execution from OpenClaw agents accessing directories outside configured workspace
- Flag any file operations in sensitive system directories initiated by OpenClaw processes
PATCHING:
11. Monitor OpenClaw release notes closely for version 2026.3.11 or later
12. Prepare patching plan immediately upon patch availability
13. Test patches in isolated environment before production deployment
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تدقيق جميع نشرات OpenClaw وتحديد الحالات التي تعمل بإصدارات أقدم من 2026.3.11
2. مراجعة سجلات الوصول للكشف عن أي استدعاءات RPC مريبة بمعاملات spawnedBy أو workspaceDir غير عادية
3. تقييد صلاحيات operator.write للموظفين الأساسيين فقط وتطبيق مبدأ أقل صلاحية
4. تعطيل وصول المشغل البعيد إذا لم يكن مطلوباً بشكل مطلق؛ استخدم الوصول المحلي فقط حيث أمكن
5. تطبيق تقسيم الشبكة لعزل وكلاء بوابة OpenClaw عن الأنظمة الحساسة
الضوابط البديلة (حتى توفر التصحيح):
6. نشر قواعد WAF/IDS للكشف عن وحجب طلبات RPC التي تحتوي على أنماط اجتياز المسارات
7. تطبيق مراقبة سلامة الملفات على مجلدات مساحة العمل للكشف عن التعديلات غير المصرح بها
8. تفعيل تسجيل التدقيق الشامل لجميع عمليات بوابة RPC مع التنبيهات على المعاملات المريبة
9. استخدام عناصر التحكم في الوصول على مستوى نظام التشغيل لتقييد صلاحيات عملية OpenClaw
10. تطبيق تحديد معدل API والتحقق من صحة الطلب على نقاط نهاية بوابة RPC
قواعد الكشف:
- التنبيه على استدعاءات RPC بقيم spawnedBy لا تطابق هويات المشغل المتوقعة
- مراقبة معاملات workspaceDir التي تحتوي على تسلسلات اجتياز المسارات أو المسارات المطلقة
- تتبع تنفيذ العمليات من وكلاء OpenClaw الذين يصلون إلى مجلدات خارج مساحة العمل المكونة
- وضع علامة على أي عمليات ملفات في مجلدات النظام الحساسة التي يبدأها عمليات OpenClaw
التصحيح:
11. مراقبة ملاحظات إصدار OpenClaw عن كثب للإصدار 2026.3.11 أو أحدث
12. تحضير خطة التصحيح فوراً عند توفر التصحيح
13. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئة معزولة قبل نشرها في الإنتاج
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1 - Access Control Policies (operator permission management)
ECC 2024 A.5.2 - User Registration and De-registration (operator credential management)
ECC 2024 A.5.3 - Access Rights (principle of least privilege for operator.write)
ECC 2024 A.8.1 - Audit Logging (RPC gateway operation logging)
ECC 2024 A.8.2 - Protection of Log Information (secure audit trail maintenance)
ECC 2024 A.12.4.1 - Event Logging (detection and alerting on suspicious RPC patterns)
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-1 - Asset Management (inventory of OpenClaw deployments)
SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control Policy (operator permission restrictions)
SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access Rights Management (least privilege implementation)
SAMA CSF DE.AE-1 - Anomalies and Events Detection (RPC anomaly detection)
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - System Monitoring (continuous monitoring of gateway operations)
SAMA CSF RS.CO-2 - Incident Response Coordination (breach response procedures)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.2 - Information Security Policies and Procedures
ISO 27001:2022 A.6.2 - Competence (operator training on secure practices)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User Endpoint Devices (secure operator access)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.2 - Privileged Access Rights (operator.write permission management)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - Information Access Restriction (workspace boundary enforcement)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.15 - Access Control (network segmentation)
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.4 - Logging (audit trail for RPC operations)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 2.1 - Inventory of System Components (OpenClaw deployment tracking)
PCI DSS 3.4 - Render PAN Unreadable (if processing payment data through OpenClaw)
PCI DSS 7.1 - Access Control Implementation (operator permission restrictions)
PCI DSS 8.1 - User ID Assignment (operator credential management)
PCI DSS 10.1 - Audit Trail Implementation (RPC operation logging)
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
openclaw:openclaw