CVE-2026-44118
OpenClaw Loopback MCP Owner Context Spoofing Vulnerability
Publication date: 2026-05-06
Last updated on: 2026-05-07
Assigner: VulnCheck
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| openclaw | openclaw | to 2026.4.22 (exc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-290 | This attack-focused weakness is caused by incorrectly implemented authentication schemes that are subject to spoofing attacks. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability exists in OpenClaw versions before 2026.4.22. It involves the way the software derives loopback MCP owner context from bearer tokens included in request headers. These tokens are server-issued but can be spoofed by an attacker. Because of this, a non-owner loopback client can manipulate the sender-owner header metadata to impersonate the owner. This allows the attacker to bypass operations that are restricted to the owner.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The vulnerability allows an attacker with limited privileges (a non-owner loopback client) to escalate their access by impersonating the owner. This can lead to unauthorized access to owner-gated operations, potentially compromising sensitive functions or data that should be restricted. The impact is significant given the high CVSS scores, indicating high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
The vulnerability allows non-owner loopback clients to impersonate owners and bypass owner-gated operations by spoofing authentication tokens. This improper access control could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or operations.
Such unauthorized access risks violating compliance requirements in standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which mandate strict access controls and protection of sensitive information.
Therefore, if exploited, this vulnerability could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of protected data, potentially resulting in non-compliance with these regulations.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability involves spoofing the owner context via bearer tokens in request headers, specifically the spoofable sender-owner header metadata in loopback MCP requests.
Detection would involve monitoring or inspecting local loopback traffic for requests that include the header `x-openclaw-sender-is-owner` or similar bearer token headers that claim owner privileges.
Since the vulnerability is related to improper access control via spoofed headers, commands to detect it could include capturing and analyzing local loopback network traffic or process requests to identify unauthorized use of owner tokens or spoofed headers.
- Use packet capture tools like tcpdump or Wireshark on the loopback interface to filter for suspicious headers, e.g., `tcpdump -i lo -A | grep 'x-openclaw-sender-is-owner'`.
- Inspect application logs or request headers for unexpected owner context claims from non-owner processes.
- Check the version of the OpenClaw package installed to confirm if it is <= 2026.4.21, which is vulnerable.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
The primary mitigation step is to upgrade the OpenClaw package to version 2026.4.22 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed.
The fix removes reliance on the spoofable sender-owner header and enforces owner context based on authenticated bearer tokens, preventing spoofing.
Until the upgrade can be applied, restrict access to the loopback MCP interface to trusted processes only and monitor for suspicious owner context spoofing attempts.
- Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.4.22 or newer.
- Restrict loopback interface access to trusted clients.
- Monitor logs and network traffic for spoofed owner headers.