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high advisory

OpenClaw Plugin Trust Bypass Vulnerability (CVE-2026-43571)

OpenClaw before 2026.4.10 is vulnerable to a plugin trust bypass, allowing attackers to craft malicious workspace plugins that bypass intended trust gates during setup-time plugin loading.

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.4.10 are susceptible to a plugin trust bypass vulnerability (CVE-2026-43571). This flaw allows attackers to craft malicious workspace plugins that can be loaded during channel setup, effectively shadowing and overriding bundled channel plugins. The vulnerability arises from insecure channel setup catalog lookups, which resolve workspace plugin shadows before verifying the integrity and trustworthiness of bundled channel plugins. This allows attackers to inject malicious code and potentially compromise the OpenClaw environment. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution within the context of the OpenClaw application.

Attack Chain

  1. An attacker crafts a malicious workspace plugin designed to shadow a bundled channel plugin.
  2. The attacker deploys the malicious plugin to a location accessible by OpenClaw.
  3. An OpenClaw user initiates a channel setup process, triggering a catalog lookup.
  4. Due to the vulnerability, the malicious workspace plugin is resolved before the legitimate bundled channel plugin.
  5. OpenClaw loads the malicious plugin, bypassing intended trust gates and security checks.
  6. The malicious plugin executes arbitrary code, potentially compromising the OpenClaw environment.
  7. The attacker gains control over the OpenClaw application, allowing for data exfiltration or further malicious activities.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-43571 can lead to complete compromise of OpenClaw installations. Attackers can execute arbitrary code within the application’s context, potentially leading to data breaches, system takeover, or denial of service. The vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations using OpenClaw for critical operations.

Recommendation

  • Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.4.10 or later to remediate CVE-2026-43571.
  • Monitor OpenClaw plugin directories for unexpected or unauthorized plugin files using file integrity monitoring rules.
  • Deploy the Sigma rule Detect Suspicious OpenClaw Plugin Loading to identify potentially malicious plugin loading activity.

Detection coverage 2

Detect Suspicious OpenClaw Plugin Loading

high

Detects potentially malicious OpenClaw plugin loading by monitoring process creations with unusual parent processes or file paths.

sigma tactics: execution techniques: T1204.002 sources: process_creation, windows

Detect OpenClaw Plugin File Creation in Suspicious Folders

medium

This rule detects the creation of OpenClaw plugin files (e.g., .dll) in temporary or user-writable directories, which could indicate malicious plugin deployment.

sigma tactics: persistence techniques: T1105 sources: file_event, windows

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