CVE-2026-28466 — openclaw
Fix: openclaw/openclaw@0af76f5CVE-2026-28466 is a CWE-863 vulnerability in openclaw. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw < 2026.2.14 - Remote Code Execution via Node Invoke Approval Bypass
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-2026-28466.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
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.
openclawnpmDescription
Summary
A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in the gateway-to-node invocation path allowed an authenticated gateway client to bypass node-host exec approvals by injecting internal control fields into node.invoke parameters.
Affected Component
- Gateway method:
node.invokefor node commandsystem.run - Node host runner: exec approval gating for
system.run
Impact
If an attacker can authenticate to a gateway (for example via a leaked/shared gateway token or a paired device token with operator.write), they could execute arbitrary commands on connected node hosts that support system.run. This can lead to full compromise of developer workstations, CI runners, and servers running the node host.
Technical Details
The gateway forwarded user-controlled params to node hosts without sanitizing internal approval fields. The node host treated params.approved === true and/or params.approvalDecision as sufficient to skip the approval workflow.
Fix
Patched in OpenClaw 2026.2.14.
- Commits:
318379cdb8d045da0009b0051bd0e712e5c65e2da7af646fdab124a7536998db6bd6ad567d2b06b0c1594627421f95b6bc4ad7c606657dc75b5ad0ce0af76f5f0e93540efbdf054895216c398692afcd
- Gateway strips untrusted approval control fields from
system.runuser input. - Gateway only re-attaches approval flags when
params.runIdreferences a validexec.approval.requestrecord and the request context matches. Approval IDs are bound to the requesting device identity (stable across reconnects), preventing replay by other clients. - Gateway forwards only an allowlisted set of
system.runparameters, preventing future control-field smuggling.
Mitigations
- Upgrade to
2026.2.14or later. - Restrict access to the gateway (do not expose it to untrusted networks/users).
- Rotate gateway credentials if you suspect token/password exposure.
- Disable remote command execution on nodes by blocking
system.runat the gateway (gateway.nodes.denyCommands) and/or by configuring node exec security todeny.
Credits
OpenClaw thanks @222n5 for reporting this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.2.14npm install openclaw@2026.2.14 |
Affected Products
openclawopenclawResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
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-2026-28466 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-28466 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.