The gateway WebSocket connect handshake could allow skipping device identity checks when auth.token was present but not yet validated.
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.
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.
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.
openclaw (npm)<= 2026.2.1>= 2026.2.2Device-identity skipping now requires validated shared-secret authentication (token/password). Tailscale-authenticated connections without validated shared secret require device identity.
Thanks @simecek for reporting.
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