Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-28480

Auth Bypass in Openclaw ≤ 2026.2.14

Public PoCAuth Bypass
Published
05 March 2026
Modified
17 March 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 6.9
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS Score 0.0021 11th percentile
Risk Priority 35 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-28480 is a medium-severity Authentication Bypass by Spoofing (CWE-290) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 6.9 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 11th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and IA-4 (Identifier Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.14 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability where Telegram allowlist matching accepts mutable usernames instead of immutable numeric sender IDs. Attackers can spoof identity by obtaining recycled usernames to bypass allowlist restrictions and interact with bots as…

more

unauthorized senders.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
Why these techniques?

Authorization bypass via spoofed Telegram usernames directly enables unauthorized interaction with a public-facing bot application (T1190).

Confidence: MEDIUM · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-35656Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-32045Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-35622Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-28465Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-32021Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-43576Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-35637Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-53849Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-41382Same product: Openclaw Openclaw
CVE-2026-32974Same product: Openclaw Openclaw

Affected Assets

openclaw
openclaw
≤ 2026.2.14

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • AC-3 Access Enforcement
  • IA-4 Identifier Management
  • IA-8 Identification and Authentication (Non-organizational Users)
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 3 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V6.4.3
  • V10.4.16
  • V10.5.1
  • V11.4.3

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly enforces access decisions using immutable sender IDs rather than mutable usernames, blocking spoofed Telegram identities from reaching allowlisted bots.

prevent

Requires proper management and use of unique, non-reusable identifiers, preventing reliance on recycled Telegram usernames for authorization.

prevent

Mandates reliable identification and authentication of non-organizational users, which would require numeric Telegram IDs instead of spoofable usernames.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-04 full match
prevents

Protecting, conveying, and verifying identity assertions specifically prevents the spoofing that enables authentication bypass.

PR.AA-03 mostly match
prevents

Requiring authentication of users/services/hardware directly counters spoofing-based bypass when strong methods are used.

PR.AA-02 partial match
prevents

Proofing and binding identities reduces spoofing opportunities during enrollment but does not address runtime authentication implementation flaws.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

degrades

Secure authentication control directly mitigates authentication bypass by spoofing.

degrades

Authentication information management directly addresses credential handling that prevents spoofing.

detects

Security testing can detect spoofing vulnerabilities but does not prevent them by itself.

prevents

Access control policy reduces spoofing opportunities but does not prescribe authentication mechanisms.

prevents

Identity management supports unique identities but does not guarantee resistance to spoofing.

prevents

Access rights assignment limits exposure but does not enforce authentication strength.

References