How severe is CVE-2026-28453?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-28453 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-28453?

CVE-2026-28453 affects the following packages: openclaw (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix CVE-2026-28453?

Update openclaw to 2026.2.14 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-28453 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-28453 in my npm dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-28453 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

Is CVE-2026-28453 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-28453 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2026-28453?

CVE-2026-28453 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.5%, placing it in the 41th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-28453?

CVE-2026-28453 is classified as Path Traversal (CWE-22). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2026-28453 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-28453 was published on March 5, 2026 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2026-28453 — openclaw

Fix: openclaw/openclaw@3aa94af

CVE-2026-28453 is a Path Traversal vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.

OpenClaw < 2026.2.14 - Zip Slip Path Traversal in TAR Archive Extraction

Also known asGHSA-p25h-9q54-ffvw

Published

Mar 5, 2026

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 4, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-28453.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs41th percentile — riskier than 41% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.

133other npm packages depend on this — each one inherits the vulnerability until it's patched upstream

openclawnpm

2.4Mdownloads / week

Description

Summary

OpenClaw versions before 2026.2.14 did not sufficiently validate TAR archive entry paths during extraction. A crafted archive could use path traversal sequences (for example ../../...) to write files outside the intended destination directory (Zip Slip).

Affected Packages / Versions

Package: openclaw (npm)
Affected: < 2026.2.14
Fixed: >= 2026.2.14

Details

The affected code path is extractArchive() in src/infra/archive.ts. Prior to 2026.2.14, TAR extraction used tar.x({ cwd: destDir }) without rejecting traversal and absolute entry paths.

This extraction is used by installation flows such as:

openclaw plugins install …
openclaw hooks install …

Impact

If a user installs an untrusted .tar / .tgz archive, an attacker can write files outside the extraction directory (within the permissions of the OpenClaw process). This can lead to configuration tampering and potentially code execution.

Mitigation

Upgrade to openclaw >= 2026.2.14. Avoid installing untrusted plugin/hook archives.

Fix Commit(s)

3aa94afcfd12104c683c9cad81faf434d0dadf87

OpenClaw thanks @xuemian168 for reporting.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`openclaw`	all versions	2026.2.14`npm install openclaw@2026.2.14`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

openclawopenclaw

< 2026.2.14

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openclaw, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update openclaw to 2026.2.14 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-28453 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

Frequently Asked Questions

## Summary OpenClaw versions before 2026.2.14 did not sufficiently validate TAR archive entry paths during extraction. A crafted archive could use path traversal sequences (for example `../../...`) to write files outside the intended destination directory (Zip Slip). ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `< 2026.2.14` - Fixed: `>= 2026.2.14` ## Details The affected code path is `extractArchive()` in `src/infra/archive.ts`. Prior to 2026.2.14, TAR extraction used `tar.x({ cwd: destDir })` without rejecting traversal and absolute entry paths. This extraction

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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