CVE-2026-28464
OpenClaw < 2026.2.12 - Timing Attack in Hooks Token Authentication
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.12 use non-constant-time string comparison for hook token validation, allowing attackers to infer tokens through timing measurements. Remote attackers with network access to the hooks endpoint can exploit timing side-channels across multiple requests to gradually determine the authentication token.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
OpenClaw < 2026.2.12 - Timing Attack in Hooks Token Authentication
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.12 use non-constant-time string comparison for hook token validation, allowing attackers to infer tokens through timing measurements. Remote attackers with network access to the hooks endpoint can exploit timing side-channels across multiple requests to gradually determine the authentication token.
- Record
CVE-2026-28464- CVSS 4.0
- 8.2 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.9 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-208
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-9910
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.12 use non-constant-time string comparison for hook token validation, allowing attackers to infer tokens through timing measurements. Remote attackers with network access to the hooks endpoint can exploit timing side-channels across multiple requests to gradually determine the authentication token.
- Record
EUVD-2026-9910- CVSS 4.0
- 8.2 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-jmm5-fvh5-gf4p
OpenClaw has non-constant-time token comparison in hooks authentication
Summary
OpenClaw hooks previously compared the provided hook token using a regular string comparison. Because this comparison is not constant-time, an attacker with network access to the hooks endpoint could potentially use timing measurements across many requests to gradually infer the token.
In practice, this typically requires hooks to be exposed to an untrusted network and a large number of requests; real-world latency and jitter can make reliable measurement difficult.
Affected Packages / Versions
- openclaw (npm): < 2026.2.12
Patched Versions
- openclaw (npm): >= 2026.2.12
Mitigations
- Upgrade to openclaw >= 2026.2.12.
- If users cannot upgrade immediately: restrict network access to the hooks endpoint and rotate the hooks token after updating.
Fix Commit(s)
- 113ebfd6a23c4beb8a575d48f7482593254506ec
OpenClaw thanks @akhmittra for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-jmm5-fvh5-gf4p- CVSS 4.0
- 8.2 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.9 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-208
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.12 use non-constant-time string comparison for hook token validation, allowing attackers to infer tokens through timing measurements. Remote attackers with network access to the hooks endpoint can exploit timing side-channels across multiple requests to gradually determine the authentication token.
- Record
CVE-2026-28464- CVSS 4.0
- 8.2 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/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 - CVSS 3.1
- 5.9 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-208
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
OpenClaw < 2026.2.12 - Timing Attack in Hooks Token Authentication
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.12 use non-constant-time string comparison for hook token validation, allowing attackers to infer tokens through timing measurements. Remote attackers with network access to the hooks endpoint can exploit timing side-channels across multiple requests to gradually determine the authentication token.
- Record
CVE-2026-28464- CVSS 4.0
- 8.2 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-208
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-jmm5-fvh5-gf4p
OpenClaw has non-constant-time token comparison in hooks authentication
Summary
OpenClaw hooks previously compared the provided hook token using a regular string comparison. Because this comparison is not constant-time, an attacker with network access to the hooks endpoint could potentially use timing measurements across many requests to gradually infer the token.
In practice, this typically requires hooks to be exposed to an untrusted network and a large number of requests; real-world latency and jitter can make reliable measurement difficult.
Affected Packages / Versions
- openclaw (npm): < 2026.2.12
Patched Versions
- openclaw (npm): >= 2026.2.12
Mitigations
- Upgrade to openclaw >= 2026.2.12.
- If users cannot upgrade immediately: restrict network access to the hooks endpoint and rotate the hooks token after updating.
Fix Commit(s)
- 113ebfd6a23c4beb8a575d48f7482593254506ec
OpenClaw thanks @akhmittra for reporting.
- Record
GHSA-jmm5-fvh5-gf4p- CVSS 4.0
- 8.2 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.9 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-208
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
openclawnpm |
before 2026.2.12 | 2026.2.12 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-28464 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.2) in Openclaw, published March 2, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.45%, the 39th percentile. Fixed in openclaw 2026.2.12.
References
github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-jmm5-fvh5-gf4p
vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-timing-attack-in-hooks-token-authentication
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28464