CVE-2026-100551 in OpenClaw
Summary
by MITRE • 09/26/2026
OpenClaw for iOS versions >= 2026.7.1 and < 2026.8.11 do not enforce saved Gateway TLS pins in the Control UI. While native connections enforced the saved Gateway fingerprint, the authenticated Terminal and session Dashboard WebViews omitted it. If a user had accepted a Gateway fingerprint, an attacker able to redirect the same host and port and present a different certificate that is accepted by iOS system trust can serve a replacement Control UI page; opening the Terminal or a session Dashboard then allows that page to read the injected Gateway token or password. The stolen credential can grant operator access, including reading sensitive Gateway state and invoking host-capable tools. This issue is fixed in 2026.8.11.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2026
The vulnerability identified in OpenClaw for iOS versions ranging from 2026.7.1 up to but not including 2026.8.11 represents a critical failure in certificate pinning enforcement within the application's user interface components. While the native connection modules correctly validated and enforced saved Gateway TLS fingerprints, ensuring that only trusted certificates were accepted during direct connections, this security control was inconsistently applied across other parts of the application. Specifically, the authenticated Terminal and session Dashboard WebViews failed to enforce these saved Gateway pins. This architectural inconsistency creates a significant attack surface where an attacker can exploit the lack of strict certificate validation in web-based interfaces to perform man-in-the-middle attacks that would otherwise be blocked by native components.
The operational impact of this flaw is severe, as it allows for credential theft and unauthorized access to sensitive gateway state information. If a user has previously accepted a Gateway fingerprint within the application, an attacker capable of redirecting traffic destined for the same host and port can present a different certificate that is trusted by the iOS system trust store rather than the specific pin saved in OpenClaw. By serving a replacement Control UI page through this intercepted connection, the attacker positions themselves to intercept sensitive data when the user interacts with vulnerable components. Opening the Terminal or accessing the session Dashboard within these compromised WebViews allows the injected malicious content to read the Gateway token or password stored for authentication purposes.
Once stolen, these credentials grant the attacker operator access to the gateway environment. This level of access is particularly dangerous as it includes the ability to read sensitive gateway state information and invoke host-capable tools on the target system. The exploitation chain relies heavily on social engineering elements such as accepting a certificate or navigating to specific UI components after a network redirection, but once triggered, the result is a complete compromise of authentication integrity for that session. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 Improper Certificate Validation and CWE-319 Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information within an Authenticated Communication Channel. From an ATT&CK perspective, this behavior corresponds to T1078 Valid Accounts, as stolen credentials are used to gain legitimate access, and potentially T1046 Network Service Discovery if the redirection facilitates further lateral movement or reconnaissance against internal services exposed through the gateway.
Mitigation for this vulnerability requires immediate updates to OpenClaw versions 2026.8.11 and later, where the issue has been resolved by ensuring consistent certificate pinning enforcement across all UI components including WebViews. In environments where updating is not immediately feasible, network-level controls such as strict TLS inspection policies or DNS filtering can help prevent redirection attacks that rely on presenting alternative certificates trusted only by the OS rather than the application-specific pins. Additionally, users should be educated to verify connection details carefully and avoid interacting with terminal interfaces if they suspect any irregularity in their network path or certificate presentation history.