OpenClaw's gateway tokenless Tailscale auth applied to HTTP routesGHSA-hff7-ccv5-52f8
Fix: openclaw/openclaw@356d61aGHSA-hff7-ccv5-52f8 is a CWE-290 vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-hff7-ccv5-52f8.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
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.
openclawnpmDescription
Summary
When tokenless Tailscale auth is enabled, OpenClaw should only allow forwarded-header auth for Control UI websocket authentication on trusted hosts. In affected versions, that tokenless path could also be used by HTTP gateway auth call sites, which could bypass token/password requirements for HTTP routes in trusted-network deployments.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Affected range:
<= 2026.2.19-2(latest published npm version as of February 21, 2026) - Patched in: planned
2026.2.21release
Impact
Deployments relying on token/password for HTTP gateway routes could be downgraded to tokenless behavior when Tailscale header auth is enabled. This weakens expected HTTP route authentication boundaries even in trusted-host network setups.
Per SECURITY.md, this does not affect the recommended setup: keep the Gateway loopback-only (or otherwise within a trusted host/network boundary), use Tailscale serve/funnel for remote access, and keep tokenless Tailscale auth scoped to Control UI websocket login.
Fix
- Added an explicit auth-surface gate (
allowTailscaleHeaderAuth, defaultfalse) in gateway auth. - Enabled tokenless Tailscale header auth only for Control UI websocket authentication.
- Kept HTTP gateway auth call sites on token/password auth paths.
- Added regression coverage for HTTP-vs-websocket behavior and Tailscale header handling.
Fix Commit(s)
356d61aacfa5b0f1d5830716ec59d70682a3e7b8
Release Process Note
patched_versions is pre-set to the planned next release (2026.2.21) so once npm release is published, this advisory can be published directly without further field edits.
OpenClaw thanks @zpbrent for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.2.21npm install openclaw@2026.2.21 |
Affected Products
openclawopenclawDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.2.21 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-hff7-ccv5-52f8 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 GHSA-hff7-ccv5-52f8 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.