📄 Description (English)
OpenClaw before 2026.4.23 contains an improper access control vulnerability in the gateway tool's config.apply and config.patch operations that allows compromised models to write unsafe configuration changes by bypassing an incomplete denylist protection. Attackers can persist malicious config modifications affecting command execution, network behavior, credentials, and operator policies that survive restart.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
OpenClaw before version 2026.4.23 contains a critical improper access control vulnerability (CVE-2026-45006) in gateway configuration operations that allows compromised models to bypass security controls and persist malicious configurations. The vulnerability affects command execution, network behavior, credentials, and operator policies, with changes surviving system restarts. This poses significant risk to organizations using OpenClaw in production environments, particularly those relying on it for critical infrastructure management.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 14, 2026 23:30
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi organizations in critical sectors: (1) Banking & Financial Services (SAMA-regulated institutions) - potential compromise of payment processing and transaction systems; (2) Government & Critical Infrastructure (NCA oversight) - risk to administrative systems and policy enforcement; (3) Energy Sector (ARAMCO, utilities) - threat to operational technology and control systems; (4) Telecommunications (STC, Mobily) - risk to network infrastructure and service delivery; (5) Healthcare - potential compromise of patient data systems and operational continuity. Organizations using OpenClaw for API gateway, model orchestration, or infrastructure automation face persistent compromise risks that could bypass security controls and survive incident response efforts.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking & Financial Services
Government & Public Administration
Energy & Utilities
Telecommunications
Healthcare
Critical Infrastructure
Defense & Security
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1548 - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism (bypass of security controls)
T1098 - Account Manipulation (credential compromise through config)
T1547 - Boot or Logon Autostart Execution (persistent configuration changes)
T1543 - Create or Modify System Process (command execution modification)
T1562 - Impair Defenses (denylist protection bypass)
T1556 - Modify Authentication Process (operator policy modification)
T1601 - Modify System Image (persistent malicious configuration)
T1578 - Modify Cloud Compute Infrastructure (network behavior modification)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all OpenClaw instances in your environment and document versions currently deployed
2. Isolate or restrict network access to OpenClaw gateways pending patch deployment
3. Review gateway configuration change logs for unauthorized modifications, particularly in config.apply and config.patch operations
4. Audit all stored credentials and API keys managed through OpenClaw for potential compromise
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.4.23 or later immediately
2. Test patches in non-production environments first, particularly for critical infrastructure
3. Plan maintenance windows to minimize service disruption
4. Verify patch application by confirming version and checking denylist protection functionality
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if immediate patching not possible):
1. Implement network segmentation to restrict access to OpenClaw gateway endpoints
2. Enable comprehensive audit logging for all config.apply and config.patch operations
3. Implement read-only mode for configuration where operationally feasible
4. Deploy file integrity monitoring on OpenClaw configuration directories
5. Restrict model deployment permissions to trusted sources only
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor for config.apply and config.patch API calls with unusual parameters
2. Alert on configuration changes that modify command execution, network settings, or credential storage
3. Track configuration changes that persist across system restarts
4. Detect attempts to modify denylist protection mechanisms
5. Monitor for unauthorized model deployments or model updates
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. حدد جميع مثيلات OpenClaw في بيئتك وتوثيق الإصدارات المنشرة حالياً
2. عزل أو تقييد الوصول الشبكي إلى بوابات OpenClaw في انتظار نشر التصحيح
3. راجع سجلات تغيير تكوين البوابة للتعديلات غير المصرح بها، خاصة في عمليات config.apply و config.patch
4. تدقيق جميع بيانات الاعتماد ومفاتيح API المخزنة من خلال OpenClaw للتحقق من احتمال الاختراق
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. ترقية OpenClaw إلى الإصدار 2026.4.23 أو أحدث فوراً
2. اختبر التصحيحات في بيئات غير الإنتاج أولاً، خاصة للبنية التحتية الحرجة
3. خطط نوافذ الصيانة لتقليل انقطاع الخدمة
4. تحقق من تطبيق التصحيح بتأكيد الإصدار والتحقق من وظيفة حماية قائمة الحظر
الضوابط البديلة (إذا لم يكن التصحيح الفوري ممكناً):
1. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة لتقييد الوصول إلى نقاط نهاية بوابة OpenClaw
2. تفعيل تسجيل التدقيق الشامل لجميع عمليات config.apply و config.patch
3. تنفيذ الوضع المقروء فقط للتكوين حيث يكون ممكناً من الناحية التشغيلية
4. نشر مراقبة سلامة الملفات على دلائل تكوين OpenClaw
5. تقييد أذونات نشر النموذج للمصادر الموثوقة فقط
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة استدعاءات API config.apply و config.patch بمعاملات غير عادية
2. تنبيهات على تغييرات التكوين التي تعدل تنفيذ الأوامر والإعدادات الشبكية أو تخزين بيانات الاعتماد
3. تتبع تغييرات التكوين التي تستمر عبر إعادة تشغيل النظام
4. الكشف عن محاولات تعديل آليات حماية قائمة الحظر
5. مراقبة نشر النماذج غير المصرح بها أو تحديثات النموذج
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Access Control Policy (improper access control in config operations)
ECC 2024 A.5.2.1 - User Registration and Access Rights Management (bypass of security controls)
ECC 2024 A.8.2.1 - User Access Management (unauthorized configuration modifications)
ECC 2024 A.12.4.1 - Event Logging (insufficient protection of configuration changes)
ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 - System Change Management (malicious persistent configuration changes)
🔵 SAMA CSF
Governance & Risk Management - Risk Assessment and Management (vulnerability in critical infrastructure)
Information Security - Access Control (improper access control in gateway operations)
Information Security - Cryptography and Key Management (credential compromise risk)
Operational Resilience - Change Management (unauthorized and persistent configuration changes)
Operational Resilience - Incident Management (persistence across restarts)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.5.1.1 - Policies for information security (access control policy violations)
A.5.2.1 - Information security roles and responsibilities (inadequate access control)
A.6.1.1 - Screening (compromised model deployment)
A.8.1.1 - User endpoint devices (gateway compromise)
A.8.2.1 - Privileged access rights (bypass of denylist protection)
A.8.3.1 - Information access restriction (improper access control)
A.12.4.1 - Event logging (insufficient audit trail for config changes)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
Requirement 1.1 - Firewall configuration standards (gateway security)
Requirement 2.1 - Default security parameters (configuration management)
Requirement 6.2 - Security patches and updates (vulnerability patching)
Requirement 7.1 - Limit access to system components (access control bypass)
Requirement 8.2.1 - User identification and authentication (credential compromise)
Requirement 10.2 - Automated audit trails (configuration change logging)
🔗 References & Sources 3
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/bceda6089aa7b3695cc7696b43c61ae3d01bb0ec
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Patch
🔗
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-cwj3-vqpp-pmxr
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Third Party Advisory
🔗
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-unsafe-config-mutation-via-gateway-tool-d...
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Third Party Advisory
Patch
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
openclaw:openclaw