CVE-2026-28482: Openclaw Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5xfq-5mr7-426q
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-28482 is a HIGH (CVSS 5.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Openclaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves openclaw's unsanitized session id enables path traversal in transcript file operations. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.12.

CVE-2026-28482 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-28482
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5xfq-5mr7-426q
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Openclaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2026-28482

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-2026-28482, 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. 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

## Description OpenClaw versions **<= 2026.2.9** construct transcript file paths using an unsanitized `sessionId` and also accept `sessionFile` paths without enforcing that they stay within the agent sessions directory. A crafted `sessionId` and/or `sessionFile` (example: `../../etc/passwd`) can cause path traversal when the gateway performs transcript file read/write operations. **Preconditions:** an attacker must be able to authenticate to the gateway (gateway token/password). By default the gateway binds to `loopback` (local-only); configurations that expose the gateway widen the attack surface. ## Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected: `<= 2026.2.9` - Fixed: `>= 2026.2.12` ## Fix Fixed by validating session IDs (rejecting path separators / traversal sequences) and enforcing sessions-directory containment for session transcript file operations. ### Fix Commit(s) - `4199f9889f0c307b77096a229b9e085b8d856c26` ### Additional Hardening - `cab0abf52ac91e12ea7a0cf04fff315cf0c94d64` ## Mitigation Upgrade to `openclaw >= 2026.2.12`. Thanks @akhmittra for reporting.

CVE-2026-28482 Affected Openclaw Versions

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

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-5xfq-5mr7-426q
NVD — CVE-2026-28482 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28482
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/4199f9889f0c307b77096a229b9e085b8d856c26
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/cab0abf52ac91e12ea7a0cf04fff315cf0c94d64
Openclaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
Openclaw Release RELEASE
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.12
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-path-traversal-via-unsanitized-sessionid-and-sessionfile-parameters

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28482?
CVE-2026-28482 is a security vulnerability in Openclaw involving OpenClaw's unsanitized session ID enables path traversal in transcript file operations under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Openclaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.12 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-28482?
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-2026-28482?
CVE-2026-28482 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-28482?
CVE-2026-28482 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-28482?
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-5xfq-5mr7-426q",
  "modified" : "2026-03-06T01:04:31Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-18T00:57:30Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-28482" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw's unsanitized session ID enables path traversal in transcript file operations",
  "details" : "## Description\n\nOpenClaw versions **<= 2026.2.9** construct transcript file paths using an unsanitized `sessionId` and also accept `sessionFile` paths without enforcing that they stay within the agent sessions directory.\n\nA crafted `sessionId` and/or `sessionFile` (example: `../../etc/passwd`) can cause path traversal when the gateway performs transcript file read/write operations.\n\n**Preconditions:** an attacker must be able to authenticate to the gateway (gateway token/password). By default the gateway binds to `loopback` (local-only); configurations that expose the gateway widen the attack surface.\n\n## Affected Packages / Versions\n\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected: `<= 2026.2.9`\n- Fixed: `>= 2026.2.12`\n\n## Fix\n\nFixed by validating session IDs (rejecting path separators / traversal sequences) and enforcing sessions-directory containment for session transcript file operations.\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n\n- `4199f9889f0c307b77096a229b9e085b8d856c26`\n\n### Additional Hardening\n\n- `cab0abf52ac91e12ea7a0cf04fff315cf0c94d64`\n\n## Mitigation\n\nUpgrade to `openclaw >= 2026.2.12`.\n\nThanks @akhmittra for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/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-5xfq-5mr7-426q"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28482"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/4199f9889f0c307b77096a229b9e085b8d856c26"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/cab0abf52ac91e12ea7a0cf04fff315cf0c94d64"
  }, {
    "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-path-traversal-via-unsanitized-sessionid-and-sessionfile-parameters"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-18T00:57:30Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-05T22:16:23Z"
  }
}