Openclaw cli: OpenClaw: MCP loopback owner context is derived from server-issued bearer tokens (CVE-2026-44118)
Description
A vulnerability in openclaw-cli versions up to 2026.4.21 allows a non-owner loopback client to spoof owner context metadata via request headers. This could enable unauthorized access to owner-gated operations. The issue is fixed in version 2026.4.22 by issuing separate bearer tokens for owner and non-owner contexts and no longer trusting the spoofable sender-owner header.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.8high
Affected software
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The MCP loopback path in openclaw-cli accepted spoofable owner-context metadata from request headers, allowing a non-owner loopback client to impersonate an owner for owner-gated operations. The fix, included in version 2026.4.22, involves issuing distinct bearer tokens for owner and non-owner contexts and deriving sender ownership exclusively from the authenticated token, removing reliance on the spoofable sender-owner header.
Potential Impact
An attacker with loopback client access and low privileges could spoof owner context metadata, potentially gaining unauthorized access to owner-gated operations. This could lead to full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact as indicated by the CVSS score of 7.8.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade openclaw-cli to version 2026.4.22 or later, which contains the official fix. The fix removes the spoofable sender-owner header and enforces authentication based on distinct bearer tokens for owner and non-owner contexts.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- BREW-openclaw-cli-CVE-2026-44118
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.3
- Ecosystems
- ["Homebrew"]
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
Threat ID: 6ac2459212601ec6a3164960
Added to database: 10/04/2026, 12:24:50 UTC
Last enriched: 10/04/2026, 12:39:48 UTC
Last updated: 10/04/2026, 16:08:38 UTC
Views: 2
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