GHSA-rv39-79c4-7459

Summary

The gateway WebSocket connect handshake could allow skipping device identity checks when auth.token was present but not yet validated.

Details

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.

Impact

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.

Deployment Guidance

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.

Affected Packages / Versions

• Package: openclaw (npm)
• Affected: <= 2026.2.1
• Fixed: >= 2026.2.2

Fix

Device-identity skipping now requires validated shared-secret authentication (token/password). Tailscale-authenticated connections without validated shared secret require device identity.

Fix Commit(s)

• fe81b1d7125a014b8280da461f34efbf5f761575

Thanks @simecek for reporting.