OpenClaw: Pairing-scoped device tokens could mint `operator.admin` and reach node RCE

Summary

In affected versions of openclaw, a caller holding only operator.pairing could use device.token.rotate to mint a new token with broader scopes for an already paired device. If the target device was approved for operator.admin, the attacker could obtain an administrative token without already holding administrative scope.

Impact

This is a critical authorization flaw. On deployments with connected node hosts or companion apps that expose system.run, the escalated token could then modify node execution approvals and reach real remote code execution on the node. Even without nodes, the flaw still granted unauthorized gateway-admin access.

Affected Packages and Versions

• Package: openclaw (npm)
• Affected versions: <= 2026.3.8
• Fixed in: 2026.3.11

Technical Details

device.token.rotate accepted caller-supplied target scopes and validated them against the target device's approved scopes, but it did not constrain the newly minted scopes to the caller's own current scope set. That allowed a pairing-scoped caller to mint a broader token for an already paired administrative device.

Fix

OpenClaw now enforces caller-scope subsetting in device.token.rotate, preventing callers from minting device tokens broader than the scopes they already hold. The fix shipped in openclaw@2026.3.11.

Workarounds

Upgrade to 2026.3.11 or later.