CVE-2026-28450: Openclaw OpenClaw's Unauthenticated Nostr Profile HTTP Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mv9j-6xhh-g383
CVSS 6.2
CWE-306 CWE-285
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-28450 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.2) openclaw's unauthenticated nostr profile http vulnerability (CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's unauthenticated nostr profile http endpoints allow remote profile/config tampering. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.12.

CVE-2026-28450 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-28450
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mv9j-6xhh-g383
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.2
CWE Classification CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.2

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-28450

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: 2026.2.12
npm install openclaw@2026.2.12
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-2026-28450, 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 2026.2.12), 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-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, where the product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources. 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 The OpenClaw Nostr channel plugin (optional, disabled by default, installed separately) exposes profile management HTTP endpoints under `/api/channels/nostr/:accountId/profile` (GET/PUT) and `/api/channels/nostr/:accountId/profile/import` (POST). In affected versions, these routes were dispatched via the gateway plugin HTTP layer without requiring gateway authentication, allowing unauthenticated remote callers to read or mutate the Nostr profile and persist changes to the gateway config. Profile updates are also published as a signed Nostr kind:0 event using the bot's private key. Deployments that do not have the Nostr plugin installed and enabled are not impacted. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.9` - Fixed versions: `>= 2026.2.12` - Scope note: only affects deployments with the optional `@openclaw/nostr` plugin installed and enabled ## Details This is exploitable when the gateway HTTP port is reachable beyond localhost (for example: bound to `0.0.0.0`, exposed on a LAN, behind a reverse proxy, or via Tailscale Funnel/Serve). Unauthenticated callers could update the Nostr profile and persist the new profile in the gateway config. ## Mitigation Upgrade to `openclaw` `2026.2.12` or later. As a temporary mitigation, restrict gateway HTTP exposure (bind loopback-only and/or enforce network-layer access controls) until upgraded. ## Fix Gateway now requires gateway authentication for plugin HTTP requests under `/api/channels/*` before dispatching to plugin handlers. Fix commit(s): - 647d929c9d0fd114249230d939a5cb3b36dc70e7 Thanks @simecek for reporting.

CVE-2026-28450 Affected Openclaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.12
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.12
2026.2.12

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28450?
CVE-2026-28450 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's unauthenticated Nostr profile HTTP endpoints allow remote profile/config tampering under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function.
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.12 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-28450?
Upgrading to 2026.2.12 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.12. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.12 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-28450?
CVE-2026-28450 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.2 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-28450?
CVE-2026-28450 is classified under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function (The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-28450?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-mv9j-6xhh-g383",
  "modified" : "2026-03-06T00:58:42Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-17T21:31:17Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-28450" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's unauthenticated Nostr profile HTTP endpoints allow remote profile/config tampering",
  "details" : "## Summary\nThe OpenClaw Nostr channel plugin (optional, disabled by default, installed separately) exposes profile management HTTP endpoints under `/api/channels/nostr/:accountId/profile` (GET/PUT) and `/api/channels/nostr/:accountId/profile/import` (POST). In affected versions, these routes were dispatched via the gateway plugin HTTP layer without requiring gateway authentication, allowing unauthenticated remote callers to read or mutate the Nostr profile and persist changes to the gateway config. Profile updates are also published as a signed Nostr kind:0 event using the bot's private key.\n\nDeployments that do not have the Nostr plugin installed and enabled are not impacted.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.9`\n- Fixed versions: `>= 2026.2.12`\n- Scope note: only affects deployments with the optional `@openclaw/nostr` plugin installed and enabled\n\n## Details\nThis is exploitable when the gateway HTTP port is reachable beyond localhost (for example: bound to `0.0.0.0`, exposed on a LAN, behind a reverse proxy, or via Tailscale Funnel/Serve).\n\nUnauthenticated callers could update the Nostr profile and persist the new profile in the gateway config.\n\n## Mitigation\nUpgrade to `openclaw` `2026.2.12` or later.\n\nAs a temporary mitigation, restrict gateway HTTP exposure (bind loopback-only and/or enforce network-layer access controls) until upgraded.\n\n## Fix\nGateway now requires gateway authentication for plugin HTTP requests under `/api/channels/*` before dispatching to plugin handlers.\n\nFix commit(s):\n- 647d929c9d0fd114249230d939a5cb3b36dc70e7\n\nThanks @simecek for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-mv9j-6xhh-g383"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28450"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/647d929c9d0fd114249230d939a5cb3b36dc70e7"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.12"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-unauthenticated-profile-tampering-via-nostr-plugin-http-endpoints"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-285", "CWE-306" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-17T21:31:17Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-05T22:16:17Z"
  }
}