CVE-2026-28475: OpenClaw Config Writes Could Persist Resolved Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-47q7-97xp-m272
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CVSS 4.8
CWE-208
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-28475 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.8) config writes could persist resolved vulnerability (CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves config writes could persist resolved ${var} secrets to disk. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.13.

CVE-2026-28475 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-28475
GHSA Identifier GHSA-47q7-97xp-m272
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.8
CWE Classification CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-28475

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected OpenClaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.2.13 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.13
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-28475, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of OpenClaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.2.13), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy, where two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not. In OpenClaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Summary OpenClaw hooks previously compared the provided hook token using a regular string comparison. Because this comparison is not constant-time, an attacker with network access to the hooks endpoint could potentially use timing measurements across many requests to gradually infer the token. In practice, this typically requires hooks to be exposed to an untrusted network and a large number of requests; real-world latency and jitter can make reliable measurement difficult. ## Affected Packages / Versions - openclaw (npm): < 2026.2.12 ## Patched Versions - openclaw (npm): >= 2026.2.12 ## Mitigations - Upgrade to openclaw >= 2026.2.12. - If users cannot upgrade immediately: restrict network access to the hooks endpoint and rotate the hooks token after updating. ## Fix Commit(s) - 113ebfd6a23c4beb8a575d48f7482593254506ec OpenClaw thanks @akhmittra for reporting.

CVE-2026-28475 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.13
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.13
2026.2.13

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-47q7-97xp-m272
NVD — CVE-2026-28475 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28475
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/113ebfd6a23c4beb8a575d48f7482593254506ec
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-timing-attack-via-hook-token-comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28475?
CVE-2026-28475 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Config writes could persist resolved ${VAR} secrets to disk under CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.13 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-28475?
Upgrading to 2026.2.13 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.13. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.13 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-28475?
CVE-2026-28475 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-28475?
CVE-2026-28475 is classified under CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy (Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-28475?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-47q7-97xp-m272",
  "modified" : "2026-03-06T01:05:10Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-02T22:43:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-28475" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Config writes could persist resolved ${VAR} secrets to disk",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nOpenClaw hooks previously compared the provided hook token using a regular string comparison. Because this comparison is not constant-time, an attacker with network access to the hooks endpoint could potentially use timing measurements across many requests to gradually infer the token.\n\nIn practice, this typically requires hooks to be exposed to an untrusted network and a large number of requests; real-world latency and jitter can make reliable measurement difficult.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- openclaw (npm): < 2026.2.12\n\n## Patched Versions\n\n- openclaw (npm): >= 2026.2.12\n\n## Mitigations\n\n- Upgrade to openclaw >= 2026.2.12.\n- If users cannot upgrade immediately: restrict network access to the hooks endpoint and rotate the hooks token after updating.\n\n## Fix Commit(s)\n\n- 113ebfd6a23c4beb8a575d48f7482593254506ec\n\nOpenClaw thanks @akhmittra for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.13"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-47q7-97xp-m272"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28475"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/113ebfd6a23c4beb8a575d48f7482593254506ec"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-timing-attack-via-hook-token-comparison"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-208" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-02T22:43:10Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-05T22:16:21Z"
  }
}