A local process can capture the OpenClaw Gateway auth token from Chrome CDP probe traffic on loopback.
Affected versions inject x-openclaw-relay-token for loopback CDP URLs, and CDP reachability probes send that header to /json/version.
If an attacker controls the probed loopback port, they can read that token and reuse it as Gateway bearer auth.
Relevant code paths (pre-fix):
src/browser/extension-relay.ts (getChromeExtensionRelayAuthHeaders)src/browser/cdp.helpers.ts (getHeadersWithAuth)src/browser/chrome.ts (fetchChromeVersion)openclaw (npm)2026.2.21-2<= 2026.2.21-2This does not change OpenClaw’s documented security model for standard single-owner installs (you own the machine/VPS and trust local processes under that OS account boundary). Risk is for non-standard shared-user/shared-host installs where an untrusted local user/process can race/bind the loopback relay port.
afa22acc4a09fdf32be8a167ae216bee85c30dadPatched version is set to >= 2026.2.22 for the published release.
OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
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