OpenClaw Notification Bypass via Slack Reactions

Compliance Impact

The provided information does not specify any direct impact of this vulnerability on compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in OpenClaw versions before 2026.5.12 and involves Slack reaction events bypassing disabled notification settings.

Specifically, even when reaction notifications are disabled, Slack reaction events can still enter the agent pipeline, which is unintended behavior.

Attackers can exploit this by sending reaction events when the feature is enabled, causing the system to process inputs that should have been blocked.

This can lead to unauthorized processing of lower-trust input, potentially affecting the system's security.

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Detection Guidance

Detection of this vulnerability involves monitoring for Slack reaction events entering the OpenClaw agent pipeline despite reaction notifications being disabled.

Since the vulnerability allows reaction events to bypass notification settings, you can check your OpenClaw version to confirm if it is prior to 2026.5.12, which is the patched version.

To detect exploitation attempts, you may monitor network traffic or logs for unexpected Slack reaction events being processed when reaction notifications are disabled.

Specific commands are not provided in the resources, but general suggestions include:

• Check OpenClaw version: use package management commands like `npm list openclaw` or check your deployment manifests.
• Inspect logs for Slack reaction events processed when reaction notifications are disabled.
• Use network monitoring tools (e.g., tcpdump, Wireshark) to capture Slack event traffic and filter for reaction events.
• Audit your Slack event subscription settings to verify if reaction events are disabled but still being received.

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Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can lead to unintended agent processing triggered by Slack reaction events that should have been blocked.

This means attackers might cause the system to process unauthorized or lower-trust inputs, potentially leading to security risks such as improper handling of data or actions.

Mitigations include disabling or restricting Slack reaction event subscriptions until patched, keeping channel and tool allowlists narrow, avoiding shared Gateways between untrusted users, and disabling the feature when unnecessary.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.5.12 or later where the issue is patched.

• Disable or restrict Slack reaction event subscriptions until the patch is applied.
• Keep channel and tool allowlists narrow to limit exposure.
• Avoid sharing Gateways between untrusted users.
• Disable the Slack reaction notification feature if it is not necessary.

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