📄 Description (English)
OpenClaw before 2026.3.23 contains an insufficient access control vulnerability in the Gateway agent /reset endpoint that allows callers with operator.write permission to reset admin sessions. Attackers with operator.write privileges can invoke /reset or /new messages with an explicit sessionKey to bypass operator.admin requirements and reset arbitrary sessions.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
OpenClaw Gateway agent versions before 2026.3.23 contain an insufficient access control vulnerability (CWE-862) allowing operators with write permissions to reset admin sessions without proper authorization. Attackers can exploit the /reset endpoint to bypass admin requirements and reset arbitrary sessions, potentially compromising administrative access controls. This vulnerability affects Node.js deployments and requires immediate patching to prevent privilege escalation attacks.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 26, 2026 11:49
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi organizations utilizing OpenClaw for identity and access management, particularly in banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions), government agencies under NCA oversight, and critical infrastructure operators. Financial institutions managing customer sessions and administrative access are at highest risk of unauthorized session manipulation. Telecom operators (STC, Mobily) and energy sector entities (ARAMCO, SEC) using OpenClaw for infrastructure access control face potential disruption through admin session hijacking. Healthcare organizations managing patient data access could experience HIPAA-equivalent compliance violations.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services
Government and Public Administration
Healthcare and Medical Services
Energy and Utilities
Telecommunications
Critical Infrastructure
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1078 - Valid Accounts (privilege escalation via operator.write)
T1550 - Use Alternate Authentication Material (session hijacking)
T1548 - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism (bypass admin requirements)
T1098 - Account Manipulation (session reset abuse)
T1556 - Modify Authentication Process (access control bypass)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all OpenClaw deployments running versions before 2026.3.23 across your infrastructure
2. Audit access logs for /reset and /new endpoint calls from operator.write privilege accounts
3. Review session reset events in the past 30 days for anomalies
4. Restrict operator.write role assignments to trusted personnel only
PATCHING:
1. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.3.23 or later immediately
2. Test patches in non-production environments first
3. Schedule maintenance windows for production deployments
4. Verify patch application by checking version numbers post-deployment
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if immediate patching delayed):
1. Implement network-level access restrictions to /reset endpoint (WAF/API gateway rules)
2. Enable enhanced logging and alerting for /reset endpoint invocations
3. Implement session validation checks requiring multi-factor confirmation for admin session resets
4. Restrict operator.write permissions to minimal required accounts
5. Monitor for suspicious session reset patterns using SIEM
DETECTION RULES:
1. Alert on /reset endpoint calls from operator.write accounts
2. Flag session resets with explicit sessionKey parameters
3. Monitor for rapid successive session reset attempts
4. Track privilege escalation patterns following session resets
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع نشرات OpenClaw التي تعمل بإصدارات سابقة للإصدار 2026.3.23 عبر البنية التحتية الخاصة بك
2. تدقيق سجلات الوصول لاستدعاءات نقطة النهاية /reset و /new من حسابات امتيازات operator.write
3. مراجعة أحداث إعادة تعيين الجلسة في آخر 30 يومًا للبحث عن الشذوذ
4. تقييد تعيينات دور operator.write للموظفين الموثوقين فقط
التصحيح:
1. ترقية OpenClaw إلى الإصدار 2026.3.23 أو أحدث على الفور
2. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئات غير الإنتاج أولاً
3. جدولة نوافذ الصيانة لنشرات الإنتاج
4. التحقق من تطبيق التصحيح بفحص أرقام الإصدارات بعد النشر
الضوابط البديلة (إذا تأخر التصحيح الفوري):
1. تنفيذ قيود الوصول على مستوى الشبكة لنقطة النهاية /reset (قواعد WAF/بوابة API)
2. تفعيل السجلات المحسنة والتنبيهات لاستدعاءات نقطة النهاية /reset
3. تنفيذ فحوصات التحقق من الجلسة التي تتطلب تأكيدًا متعدد العوامل لإعادة تعيين جلسة المسؤول
4. تقييد صلاحيات operator.write للحسابات المطلوبة بالحد الأدنى
5. مراقبة أنماط إعادة تعيين الجلسة المريبة باستخدام SIEM
قواعد الكشف:
1. تنبيه عند استدعاءات /reset من حسابات operator.write
2. وضع علامة على إعادة تعيين الجلسة باستخدام معاملات sessionKey صريحة
3. مراقبة محاولات إعادة تعيين الجلسة المتتالية السريعة
4. تتبع أنماط تصعيد الامتيازات بعد إعادة تعيين الجلسة
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.9.2.1 - User access management and authorization controls
ECC 2024 A.9.4.3 - Password management and session control
ECC 2024 A.8.2.3 - Segregation of duties and access control
ECC 2024 A.12.4.1 - Event logging and monitoring
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Software, hardware, and firmware inventory
SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access control policy and procedures
SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access rights and privileges management
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - System monitoring and anomaly detection
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.15 - Access control
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.2 - Privileged access rights
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - Information access restriction
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.4.1 - Event logging
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 7.1 - Limit access to system components by business need-to-know
PCI DSS 8.2 - Ensure proper user identification and authentication
PCI DSS 10.2 - Implement automated audit trails for access to cardholder data
🔗 References & Sources 4
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/50f6a2f136fed85b58548a38f7a3dbb98d2cd1a0
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Patch
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/630f1479c44f78484dfa21bb407cbe6f171dac87
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Patch
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-wq58-2pvg-5h4f
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Vendor Advisory
🔗
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-insufficient-access-control-in-gateway-ag...
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Third Party Advisory
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
openclaw:openclaw