● Medium · CVSS 6.3

How to Fix CVE-2026-28471: Authentication bypass in OpenClaw

Q: What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-28471?

6.3 (Medium). Vector: `CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`.

Q: Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-28471?

The vendor advisory is at [https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rmxw-jxxx-4cpc](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rmxw-jxxx-4cpc). The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28471.

By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.

CVE-2026-28471 is a authentication bypass in OpenClaw OpenClaw. The fix is to apply the vendor patch noted below.

⚡ At a glance


Severity	6.3 (Medium)
Actively exploited?	No public listing in CISA KEV
Affected	OpenClaw 2026.1.14-1 to <2026.2.2
Fixed in	See vendor advisory
Type (CWE)	CWE-287: Improper Authentication

What is CVE-2026-28471?

OpenClaw version 2026.1.14-1 prior to 2026.2.2, with the Matrix plugin installed and enabled, contain a vulnerability in which DM allowlist matching could be bypassed by exact-matching against sender display names and localparts without homeserver validation. Remote Matrix users can impersonate allowed identities by using attacker-controlled display names or matching localparts from different homeservers to reach the routing and agent pipeline. The CVSS base score is 6.3 (Medium). The official advisory is at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rmxw-jxxx-4cpc.

Am I affected?

Check the version of OpenClaw you are running and compare it against the Affected row above (OpenClaw 2026.1.14-1 to <2026.2.2). If your build sits inside the affected range, you must patch.

Run the version check that fits your platform:


# Linux package check
dpkg -s openclaw 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q openclaw 2>/dev/null
command -v openclaw >/dev/null && openclaw --version 2>/dev/null


# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Package -Name "*OpenClaw*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Version
winget list --name "OpenClaw" 2>$null

How to fix CVE-2026-28471

Upgrade OpenClaw to a patched build: See vendor advisory. The vendor advisory is the source of truth for the exact fixed version.

Ubuntu / Debian


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade openclaw
dpkg -s openclaw | grep -i ^Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux


sudo dnf upgrade --refresh openclaw -y
# or for older releases:
sudo yum update openclaw -y
rpm -q openclaw

SUSE / openSUSE


sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update openclaw
rpm -q openclaw

Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)


# Fix script for CVE-2026-28471 affecting OpenClaw
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath  = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-28471-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append

try {
    Write-Host "[1/4] Detect installed version"
    $pkg = Get-Package -Name "*OpenClaw*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($pkg) { $pkg | Format-Table Name, Version }
    else { Write-Host "Not detected via Get-Package; try winget list" }

    Write-Host "[2/4] Backup configuration"
    $backup = "C:\Backup\openclaw-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
    Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\OpenClaw" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "[3/4] Apply the upgrade to See vendor advisory"
    winget upgrade --name "OpenClaw" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        # Fallback: pull latest via OS update channel
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
        Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
    }

    Write-Host "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
    winget list --name "OpenClaw"
    Write-Host "Patch applied. Reboot if prompted."
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
    exit 1
} finally {
    Stop-Transcript
}

Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)


#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-28471 affecting OpenClaw
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-28471-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1

echo "[1/4] Detect installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s openclaw 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version || echo "openclaw not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q openclaw || echo "openclaw not installed via rpm"
fi

echo "[2/4] Backup configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-28471-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/openclaw /etc/openclaw.d /etc/openclaw.conf; do
    [ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done

echo "[3/4] Apply the upgrade (target: See vendor advisory)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
    apt-get update
    apt-get install --only-upgrade -y openclaw
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
    dnf upgrade --refresh -y openclaw
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
    yum update -y openclaw
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
    zypper --non-interactive update openclaw
fi

echo "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s openclaw 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q openclaw
fi
echo "Done. Restart any service that loaded the old library."

If you can't patch immediately

Apply at least one of the following inline controls until you can deploy the patched build. None replace the upgrade.

Restrict exposure with nftables (Linux)


# Allow only trusted CIDR to reach the affected service ports
sudo nft add table inet filter 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add chain inet filter input { type filter hook input priority 0 ; }' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add rule inet filter input tcp dport {80, 443} ip saddr != 10.0.0.0/8 drop'
sudo nft list ruleset

Block at the host firewall (Windows)


New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28471" -Direction Inbound -Action Block -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443 -RemoteAddress Any -Enabled True
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28471"

Disable the affected service (Linux)


sudo systemctl stop openclaw 2>/dev/null || true
sudo systemctl disable openclaw 2>/dev/null || true

If the vendor advisory lists an official workaround, prefer that wording verbatim. If no workaround is published, the only safe remediation is the patch.

How to verify the fix worked

After upgrading, confirm the installed version matches the patched build and that no old library is still loaded by a long-running process.


# Linux
dpkg -s openclaw 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q openclaw 2>/dev/null || true
# Pid map check for old library handles
sudo lsof +c0 2>/dev/null | grep -i "DEL.*lib" || true


# Windows
Get-Package -Name "*OpenClaw*" | Select-Object Name, Version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Expected: the reported version is at or above See vendor advisory. Restart the affected service (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, or restart the Windows service) so it loads the patched binary.

Frequently asked questions

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Is CVE-2026-28471 actively exploited?

There is no public confirmation of exploitation in the wild listed in CISA KEV at the time of this writing. Patch anyway. Public exploits commonly follow disclosure within weeks.

Do I need to reboot after patching CVE-2026-28471?

For kernel and OS-level updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough on Linux, and restarting the Windows service or app on Windows. Any process that loaded the old library keeps using it until restarted.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-28471?

6.3 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N.

Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-28471?

The vendor advisory is at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rmxw-jxxx-4cpc. The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28471.

References

Official vendor advisory: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-rmxw-jxxx-4cpc
NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28471
CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
Additional reference: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/8f3bfbd1c4fb967a2ddb5b4b9a05784920814bcf
Additional reference: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-allowlist-bypass-via-displayname-and-cross-homeserver-localpart-matching-in-matrix

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*