CVE-2026-25253 — clawdbot
HIGHCVE-2026-25253 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-669 vulnerability in clawdbot. 3 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for clawdbot — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw/Clawdbot has 1-Click RCE via Authentication Token Exfiltration From gatewayUrl
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-25253.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
clawdbotnpmDescription
Summary
The Control UI trusts gatewayUrl from the query string without validation and auto-connects on load, sending the stored gateway token in the WebSocket connect payload.
Clicking a crafted link or visiting a malicious site can send the token to an attacker-controlled server. The attacker can then connect to the victim's local gateway, modify config (sandbox, tool policies), and invoke privileged actions, achieving 1-click RCE. This vulnerability is exploitable even on instances configured to listen on loopback only, since the victim's browser initiates the outbound connection.
Details
The root cause is the lack of validation for gatewayUrl combined with auto‑connect behavior on page load. With the change users now need to confirm the new gateway URL in the UI.
Impact
This is a token exfiltration vulnerability that leads to full gateway compromise. It impacts any Moltbot deployment where a user has authenticated to the Control UI. The attacker gains operator-level access to the gateway API, enabling arbitrary config changes and code execution on the gateway host. The attack works even when the gateway binds to loopback because the victim's browser acts as the bridge.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | clawdbot | all versions | 2026.1.29npm install clawdbot@2026.1.29 |
Affected Products
openclawopenclawResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for clawdbot, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update clawdbot to 2026.1.29 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-25253 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-25253 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.