CVE-2026-28482
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.
Package Versions Affected
Automatically patch vulnerabilities without upgrading
CVSS Version



Related Resources
References
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-5xfq-5mr7-426q, https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28482, https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/4199f9889f0c307b77096a229b9e085b8d856c26, https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/cab0abf52ac91e12ea7a0cf04fff315cf0c94d64, https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw, https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.2.12, https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-path-traversal-via-unsanitized-sessionid-and-sessionfile-parameters
