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CVE-2026-28472

CRITICAL

OpenClaw's gateway connect could skip device identity checks when auth.token was present but not yet validated

Published February 17, 2026Updated March 10, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Summary The gateway WebSocket `connect` handshake could allow skipping device identity checks when `auth.token` was present but not yet validated. ### Details In `src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts`, the device-identity requirement could be bypassed based on the *presence* of a non-empty `connectParams.auth.token` rather than a *validated* shared-secret authentication result. ### Impact In deployments where the gateway WebSocket is reachable and connections can be authorized via Tailscale without validating the shared secret, a client could connect without providing device identity/pairing. Depending on version and configuration, this could result in operator access. ### Deployment Guidance Per OpenClaw security guidance, the gateway should only be reachable from a trusted network and by trusted users (for example, restrict Tailnet users/ACLs when using Tailscale Serve). If the gateway WebSocket is only reachable by trusted users, there is typically no untrusted party with network access to exploit this issue. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.1` - Fixed: `>= 2026.2.2` ### Fix Device-identity skipping now requires *validated* shared-secret authentication (token/password). Tailscale-authenticated connections without validated shared secret require device identity. ### Fix Commit(s) - fe81b1d7125a014b8280da461f34efbf5f761575 Thanks @simecek for reporting.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

npm
Update openclaw to 2026.2.2 or later
npm install openclaw@2026.2.2

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

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
openclaw
npm
All versions2026.2.2

Vulnerability Classification

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

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-2026-28472?
OpenClaw's gateway connect could skip device identity checks when auth.token was present but not yet validated 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-2026-28472?
CVE-2026-28472 affects openclaw. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-28472 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-rv39-79c4-7459

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