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GHSA-9WQX-G2CW-VC7R: GHSA-9WQX-G2CW-VC7R: Authorization Bypass in OpenClaw Matrix Verification Router

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GHSA-9WQX-G2CW-VC7R: Authorization Bypass in OpenClaw Matrix Verification Router

Vulnerability ID: GHSA-9WQX-G2CW-VC7R
CVSS Score: 5.3
Published: 2026-03-27

The OpenClaw AI assistant contains an authorization bypass vulnerability in its Matrix protocol integration. The application fails to apply Direct Message access policies to specific Matrix Key Verification events, allowing unauthorized users to interact with the bot's verification state.

TL;DR

OpenClaw's Matrix integration fails to enforce DM policy restrictions on key verification requests, allowing unauthorized external users to interact with the bot regardless of the configured allowlist or pairing state.

⚠️ Exploit Status: POC

Technical Details

  • CWE ID: CWE-288, CWE-284, CWE-285
  • Attack Vector: Network (Matrix Protocol)
  • CVSS v3.1 Score: 5.3 (Moderate)
  • Exploit Status: Proof of Concept available via specific Matrix events
  • Impact: Authorization Bypass, State Manipulation
  • Patched Version: 2026.3.26

Affected Systems

  • OpenClaw Matrix Protocol Integration
  • OpenClaw Verification Event Router
  • OpenClaw: <= 2026.3.24 (Fixed in: 2026.3.26)

Code Analysis

Commit: 2383daf

Introduces isVerificationNoticeAuthorized to gate Matrix verification events against the configured DM policy.

Added isVerificationNoticeAuthorized function and applied it to routeVerificationEvent and routeVerificationSummary.
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Mitigation Strategies

  • Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.3.26 or newer to apply the patched authorization logic.
  • Monitor application logs for the presence of blocked verification attempt messages.
  • Restrict Matrix federation settings on the homeserver to limit exposure to untrusted external domains.

Remediation Steps:

  1. Verify the current running version of OpenClaw.
  2. Pull the latest OpenClaw release (>= 2026.3.26) from the official repository.
  3. Deploy the updated application and restart the OpenClaw service.
  4. Verify the log output to ensure standard Matrix DMs function correctly for authorized users.
  5. Configure log aggregation tools to alert on the string 'matrix: blocked verification sender'.

References

Read the full report for GHSA-9WQX-G2CW-VC7R on our website for more details including interactive diagrams and full exploit analysis.

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