CVE-2026-28472
OpenClaw's gateway connect could skip device identity checks when auth.token was present but not yet validated
Impact
### Summary The gateway WebSocket `connect` handshake could allow skipping device identity checks when `auth.token` was present but not yet validated. ### Details In `src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts`, the device-identity requirement could be bypassed based on the *presence* of a non-empty `connectParams.auth.token` rather than a *validated* shared-secret authentication result. ### Impact In deployments where the gateway WebSocket is reachable and connections can be authorized via Tailscale without validating the shared secret, a client could connect without providing device identity/pairing. Depending on version and configuration, this could result in operator access. ### Deployment Guidance Per OpenClaw security guidance, the gateway should only be reachable from a trusted network and by trusted users (for example, restrict Tailnet users/ACLs when using Tailscale Serve). If the gateway WebSocket is only reachable by trusted users, there is typically no untrusted party with network access to exploit this issue. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.1` - Fixed: `>= 2026.2.2` ### Fix Device-identity skipping now requires *validated* shared-secret authentication (token/password). Tailscale-authenticated connections without validated shared secret require device identity. ### Fix Commit(s) - fe81b1d7125a014b8280da461f34efbf5f761575 Thanks @simecek for reporting.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | openclaw | < 2026.2.2 | 2026.2.2 |
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|
| Openclaw | Openclaw | before 2026.2.2 |
Weakness classification
References
- NVD record
- CVE.org record
- GitHub advisory
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/fe81b1d7125a014b8280da461f34efbf5f761575
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rv39-79c4-7459
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-device-identity-check-bypass-in-gateway-websocket-connect-handshake
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rv39-79c4-7459
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.2
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28472