CVE-2026-28453
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedOpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.14 fail to validate TAR archive entry paths during extraction, allowing path traversal sequences to write files outside the intended directory. Attackers can craft malicious archives with traversal sequences like ../../ to write files outside extraction boundaries, potentially enabling configuration tampering and code execution.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceOpenClaw prior to version 2026.2.14 contains a path traversal vulnerability in its TAR archive extraction functionality. The application fails to validate archive entry paths, allowing attackers to use '../' sequences in filenames to write files outside the intended extraction directory. This can lead to configuration file overwriting and arbitrary code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 2026.2.14CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed OpenClaw versionLocate the OpenClaw application and check its version number (typically found in the application metadata, about dialog, or version file). Compare this to the fixed version 2026.2.14.Affected if The installed version is any version prior to 2026.2.14
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Identify TAR archive extraction usageInspect OpenClaw configuration or logs to determine if the application is configured to extract TAR archives. Look for TAR-related settings, modules, or features that handle archive extraction.Affected if TAR archive extraction functionality is enabled or utilized in the environment
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Check for untrusted TAR archive processingReview how TAR archives are obtained and processed. Determine if the application extracts TAR files from untrusted sources (user uploads, network sources, or external repositories).Affected if The application processes TAR archives from untrusted or external sources without additional validation
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Inspect extraction directory configurationExamine the OpenClaw configuration to identify the designated extraction directory for TAR archives. Verify if the application writes extracted files to a controlled, intended directory.Affected if The extraction directory is not properly isolated or if multiple directories are writable by the extraction process
You are affected if OpenClaw version is below 2026.2.14 AND the TAR archive extraction feature is being used to process archives, particularly from untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped2026.2.14
Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.2.14 or later, which includes proper path validation for TAR archive entries.
2026.2.14
- Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.2.14 or later to obtain the patched code that validates TAR archive entry paths
- If using a package manager, run the appropriate update command to install the latest version
- If deploying from source, checkout the commit 3aa94afcfd12104c683c9cad81faf434d0dadf87 or update to the 2026.2.14 release tag
- After upgrading, verify the extraction functionality works correctly and that files are written only within the intended directory
- Validate that existing archives cannot exploit the path traversal vulnerability by testing with crafted archives containing ../ sequences
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28453 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-28453 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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