ClawJacked attack let malicious websites hijack OpenClaw to steal data
Summary
A vulnerability called ClawJacked in OpenClaw (a self-hosted AI platform that runs AI agents locally) allowed malicious websites to secretly take control of a running instance and steal data by brute-forcing the password through the browser. The attack exploited the fact that OpenClaw's gateway service listens on localhost (127.0.0.1, a local-only address) with a WebSocket interface (a two-way communication protocol), and localhost connections were exempt from rate limiting, allowing attackers to guess passwords hundreds of times per second without triggering protections.
Solution / Mitigation
Update to OpenClaw version 2026.2.26 or later immediately. According to the source, the fix "tightens WebSocket security checks and adds additional protections to prevent attackers from abusing localhost loopback connections to brute-force logins or hijack sessions, even if those connections are configured to be exempt from rate limiting."
Classification
Affected Vendors
Related Issues
Original source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/clawjacked-attack-let-malicious-websites-hijack-openclaw-to-steal-data/
First tracked: March 1, 2026 at 07:00 PM
Classified by LLM (prompt v3) · confidence: 85%