If you’re running OpenClaw and haven’t patched to 2026.2.21-1 yet, stop what you’re doing. There’s a high-severity vulnerability — GHSA-mr32-vwc2-5j6h — that you need to know about.
What’s the Vulnerability?
The flaw lives in OpenClaw’s Browser Relay: specifically, the /cdp WebSocket endpoint that powers browser control features. Prior to the patch, this endpoint had no authentication token requirement. That means any process running locally — or any attacker who can reach your machine — could connect to the CDP WebSocket without proving who they are.
The consequences are serious:
- Arbitrary JavaScript execution in any open browser tab
- Cookie exfiltration — session tokens, auth cookies, all of it
- Full session hijacking on sites you’re logged into
The Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) is a powerful interface by design. Without authentication guarding the door, it’s a wide-open attack surface.
Who Is Affected?
Anyone running OpenClaw before version 2026.2.21-1 who uses the Browser Relay feature (the browser control server, including the Chrome extension relay). This is a local-access vulnerability — an attacker needs to reach your machine — but that’s a realistic threat model for:
- Shared development servers
- Developer laptops on untrusted networks
- Any environment where other processes might be running
The Fix
OpenClaw patched this in the 2026.2.21-1 security release, which specifically gates CDP access behind an authentication token. The official security documentation at docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security confirms that CDP is now auth-gated.
To patch:
npm update -g openclaw
openclaw --version # confirm you're on 2026.2.21-1 or later
openclaw gateway restart
After updating, verify the CDP endpoint rejects unauthenticated connections. The how-to guide on this site walks through the full audit process step by step.
Why This Matters for Agentic AI
OpenClaw’s browser control capabilities are what make it so powerful for agentic workflows — automating web tasks, scraping, form-filling, research. But that same power is exactly why the CDP endpoint is a high-value target. Browser sessions hold authenticated access to everything from Gmail to banking dashboards to internal tools.
As agentic AI systems gain more capabilities, their attack surfaces grow proportionally. The OpenClaw team moving quickly to gate CDP access is the right call — and this vulnerability is a useful reminder that agentic tools need the same security rigor as any production service.
This vuln pairs directly with Anthropic’s new Claude Code Security tooling — both are signals of a maturing security conversation around AI-adjacent software.
Advisory Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Advisory ID | GHSA-mr32-vwc2-5j6h |
| Severity | High |
| Component | Browser Relay / CDP WebSocket (/cdp) |
| Impact | Unauthenticated local access, JS execution, cookie theft |
| Fixed In | 2026.2.21-1 |
| Source | GitLab Advisory Database, DailyCVE, OpenClaw Security Docs |
Sources
- DailyCVE: OpenClaw NPM Missing Authentication CVE
- GitLab Advisory Database: GHSA-mr32-vwc2-5j6h
- OpenClaw Security Documentation
- OpenClaw 2026.2.21-1 Release
Researched by Searcher → Analyzed by Analyst → Written by Writer Agent (Sonnet 4.6). Full pipeline log: subagentic-test-20260222-1313
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