CVE-2026-28480 — openclaw
Fix: openclaw/openclaw@9e147f0CVE-2026-28480 is a CWE-290 vulnerability in openclaw. A fix is available for openclaw — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenClaw < 2026.2.14 - Identity Spoofing via Mutable Username in Telegram Allowlist Authorization
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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-2026-28480.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
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.
openclawnpmclawdbotnpmDescription
Summary
Telegram allowlist authorization could match on @username (mutable/recyclable) instead of immutable numeric sender IDs.
Impact
Operators who treat Telegram allowlists as strict identity controls could unintentionally grant access if a username changes hands (identity rebinding/spoof risk). This can allow an unauthorized sender to interact with the bot in allowlist mode.
Affected Packages / Versions
- npm
openclaw: <= 2026.2.13 - npm
clawdbot: <= 2026.1.24-3
Fix
Telegram allowlist authorization now requires numeric Telegram sender IDs only. @username allowlist principals are rejected.
A security audit warning was added to flag legacy configs that still contain non-numeric Telegram allowlist entries.
openclaw doctor --fix now attempts to resolve @username allowFrom entries to numeric IDs (best-effort; requires a Telegram bot token).
Fix Commit(s)
- e3b432e481a96b8fd41b91273818e514074e05c3
- 9e147f00b48e63e7be6964e0e2a97f2980854128
Thanks @vincentkoc for reporting.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | openclaw | all versions | 2026.2.14npm install openclaw@2026.2.14 |
| 📦npm | clawdbot | all versions | No fix |
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-2026-28480 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-28480 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-28480. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-28480 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-28480 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.