Executive Summary

CVE-2026-41394 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in OpenClaw versions before 2026.3.31. It occurs because unauthenticated plugin-auth HTTP routes improperly receive operator runtime write scopes, which are privileges meant only for authorized operators.

This means attackers can access these plugin-auth routes without any authentication and perform privileged runtime actions that should be restricted. The root cause involves improper privilege management and missing authorization checks.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized write access to operator runtime actions within OpenClaw plugin routes.

As a result, attackers can perform privileged operations that could compromise the integrity of the system, potentially leading to unauthorized changes or manipulation of runtime data.

The vulnerability has a high severity rating with a CVSS v4 score of 8.8, indicating a significant security risk due to its network attack vector, low complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction.

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Detection Guidance

Detection of this vulnerability involves identifying unauthenticated HTTP requests to plugin-auth routes that improperly receive operator runtime write scopes.

Since the vulnerability allows unauthenticated access to privileged plugin-auth HTTP routes, monitoring HTTP traffic for such unauthenticated requests attempting privileged runtime actions can help detect exploitation attempts.

Additionally, logs showing HTTP 500 Internal Server Errors with warnings about missing operator.write scopes (after patching) can indicate attempts to exploit this issue.

Suggested commands include using network traffic analysis tools like tcpdump or Wireshark to filter HTTP requests to plugin-auth routes, for example:

• tcpdump -i <interface> -A 'tcp port 80 or tcp port 443' | grep 'plugin-auth'
• grep -i 'operator.write' /var/log/openclaw/*.log

Also, reviewing application logs for unauthorized access attempts or errors related to scope authorization can help detect exploitation.

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Mitigation Strategies

The primary mitigation step is to upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.3.31 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed.

The fix restricts operator WRITE_SCOPE privileges from being assigned to unauthenticated plugin-auth HTTP routes, ensuring only authenticated and authorized routes receive write access.

If immediate upgrade is not possible, consider restricting network access to plugin-auth HTTP routes to trusted clients only, effectively blocking unauthenticated external access.

Additionally, monitor logs for suspicious unauthenticated access attempts and apply firewall rules or API gateway policies to enforce authentication before allowing write-capable operations.

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Compliance Impact

CVE-2026-41394 allows unauthenticated attackers to gain operator runtime write privileges through plugin-auth HTTP routes, enabling privileged runtime actions without authorization.

This unauthorized access and privilege escalation can lead to unauthorized data modification or exposure, which may violate security and privacy requirements mandated by common standards and regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA.

Specifically, the failure to enforce proper authorization and privilege management (CWE-269 and CWE-862) increases the risk of data integrity and confidentiality breaches, potentially resulting in non-compliance with regulations that require strict access controls and protection of sensitive information.

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