OpenClaw has gateway plugin auth bypass via encoded dot-segment traversal in protected /api/channels paths
### Summary Gateway plugin route auth protection for `/api/channels` could be bypassed using encoded dot-segment traversal (for example `..%2f`) in path variants that plugin handlers normalize. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: npm `openclaw` - Latest published vulnerable version: `2026.2.25` - Vulnerable version range: `<= 2026.2.25` - Patched version: `2026.2.26` (planned next release) ### Impact Under affected versions, crafted alternate paths could bypass gateway auth checks for protected plugin channel routes when plugin handlers decode/canonicalize the incoming path and then route to `/api/channels/...` handlers. ### Fix Commit(s) - `258d615c45527ffda37cecd08cd268f97461bde0` ### Release Process Note `patched_versions` is pre-set to the planned next release (`2026.2.26`). After npm publish, maintainers only need to publish the advisory. OpenClaw thanks @zpbrent for reporting.
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-32036US | high8.2 | — | ||
OpenClaw gateway plugin versions prior to 2026.2.26 contain a path traversal vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass route authentication checks by manipulating /api/c… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclawPACKAGE
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/258d615c45527ffda37cecd08cd268f97461bde0WEB
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-mwxv-35wr-4vvjWEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32036ADVISORY
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-authentication-bypass-via-encoded-dot-segment-traversal-in-api-channelsWEB
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