CVE-2026-35639: OpenClaw — HIGH

OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the device.pair.approve method that allows an operator.pairing approver to approve pending device requests with broader operator scopes than the approver actually holds. Attackers can exploit insufficient scope validation to...

Full CISO analysis pending enrichment.

What systems are affected?

Package	Ecosystem	Vulnerable Range	Patched
OpenClaw	pip	—	No patch
4 dependents 37% patched ~3d to patch Full package profile →

Do you use OpenClaw? You're affected.

How severe is it?

CVSS 3.1

8.8 / 10

EPSS

N/A

Exploitation Status

No known exploitation

Sophistication

N/A

What is the attack surface?

AV Network

AC Low

PR Low

UI None

S Unchanged

C High

I High

A High

What should I do?

No patch available

Monitor for updates. Consider compensating controls or temporary mitigations.

Which compliance frameworks are affected?

Compliance analysis pending. Sign in for full compliance mapping when available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35639?

OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the device.pair.approve method that allows an operator.pairing approver to approve pending device requests with broader operator scopes than the approver actually holds. Attackers can exploit insufficient scope validation to escalate privileges to operator.admin and achieve remote code execution on the Node infrastructure.

Is CVE-2026-35639 actively exploited?

No confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2026-35639 has been reported, but organizations should still patch proactively.

How to fix CVE-2026-35639?

No patch is currently available. Monitor vendor advisories for updates.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-35639?

CVE-2026-35639 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).

What are the technical details?

Original Advisory

OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the device.pair.approve method that allows an operator.pairing approver to approve pending device requests with broader operator scopes than the approver actually holds. Attackers can exploit insufficient scope validation to escalate privileges to operator.admin and achieve remote code execution on the Node infrastructure.

Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-648 Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs

CWE-648 — Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs: The product does not conform to the API requirements for a function call that requires extra privileges. This could allow attackers to gain privileges by causing the function to be called incorrectly.

[Implementation] Before calling privileged APIs, always ensure that the assumptions made by the privileged code hold true prior to making the call.
[Architecture and Design] Know architecture and implementation weaknesses of the privileged APIs and make sure to account for these weaknesses before calling the privileged APIs to ensure that they can be called safely.

Source: MITRE CWE corpus.