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CVE-2026-28454

CRITICAL

OpenClaw has a potential access-group authorization bypass if channel type lookup fails

Published February 17, 2026Updated March 6, 2026Source: osv

Summary

## Summary When Telegram webhook mode is enabled without a configured webhook secret, OpenClaw may accept unauthenticated HTTP POST requests at the Telegram webhook endpoint and trust attacker-controlled update JSON. This can allow forged Telegram updates that spoof `message.from.id` / `chat.id`, potentially bypassing sender allowlists and executing privileged bot commands. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.1.30` - Patched: `>= 2026.2.1` ## Impact An attacker who can reach the webhook endpoint can forge Telegram updates and impersonate allowlisted/paired senders by spoofing fields in the webhook payload (for example `message.from.id`). Impact depends on enabled commands/tools and the deployment’s network exposure. ## Mitigations / Workarounds - Configure a strong `channels.telegram.webhookSecret` and ensure your reverse proxy forwards the `X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Token` header unchanged. ## Fix Commit(s) - ca92597e1f9593236ad86810b66633144b69314d (config validation: `webhookUrl` requires `webhookSecret`) Defense-in-depth / supporting fixes: - 5643a934799dc523ec2ef18c007e1aa2c386b670 (default webhook listener bind host to loopback) - 3cbcba10cf30c2ffb898f0d8c7dfb929f15f8930 (bound webhook request body size/time) - 633fe8b9c17f02fcc68ecdb5ec212a5ace932f09 (runtime guard: reject webhook startup when secret is missing/empty) ## Release Process Note `patched_versions` is set to the first fixed release (`2026.2.1`). Thanks @yueyueL for reporting.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

npm
Update openclaw to 2026.2.1 or later
npm install openclaw@2026.2.1

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
openclaw
npm
All versions2026.2.1

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-285
    Improper AuthorizationMITRE
  • CWE-345
    Insufficient Verification of Data AuthenticityMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28454?
OpenClaw has a potential access-group authorization bypass if channel type lookup fails This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-28454?
CVE-2026-28454 affects openclaw. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-28454 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.8

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-fhvm-j76f-qmjv

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