Summary
NOTE: This only affects deployments that enable the optional MS Teams extension (Teams channel). If you do not use MS Teams, you are not impacted.
When OpenClaw downloads inbound MS Teams attachments / inline images, it may retry a URL with an Authorization: Bearer <token> header after receiving 401 or 403.
Because the default download allowlist uses suffix matching (and includes some multi-tenant suffix domains), a message that references an untrusted but allowlisted host could cause that bearer token to be sent to the wrong place.
Affected Packages / Versions
- Package:
openclaw(npm) - Vulnerable:
<= 2026.1.30 - Patched:
>= 2026.2.1
Workarounds
- If you do not need MS Teams, disable the MS Teams extension.
- If you must stay on an older version, ensure the auth host allowlist is strict (only Microsoft-owned endpoints that require auth) and avoid wildcard or broad suffix entries.
Credits
Thanks @yueyueL for reporting.
Impact
CVE-2026-28481 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2026.2.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
- Fix commit:
41cc5bcd4f1d434ad1bbdfa55b56f25025ecbf6b - Upgrade to
openclaw >= 2026.2.1
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-28481? CVE-2026-28481 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions < 2026.2.1. It is fixed in 2026.2.1.
- How severe is CVE-2026-28481? CVE-2026-28481 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of openclaw are affected by CVE-2026-28481? openclaw (npm) versions < 2026.2.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-28481? Yes. CVE-2026-28481 is fixed in 2026.2.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-28481 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-28481 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-28481 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-28481? Upgrade
openclawto 2026.2.1 or later.