Openclaw cli: OpenClaw has a potential access-group authorization bypass if channel type lookup fails (CVE-2026-28454)

OpenClaw CLI's Telegram webhook endpoint may accept unauthenticated HTTP POST requests if the webhook secret is not configured, allowing attackers to send forged Telegram update JSON payloads. These forged updates can spoof fields such as 'message.from.id' and 'chat.id', enabling bypass of sender allowlists and execution of privileged commands. The vulnerability affects openclaw versions <= 2026.1.30 and is fixed starting from 2026.2.1. The fix includes mandatory webhook secret configuration, binding the webhook listener to loopback by default, limiting request body size and time, and runtime guards rejecting webhook startup without a secret.

An attacker with network access to the Telegram webhook endpoint can impersonate trusted Telegram users by spoofing update payload fields, potentially bypassing sender allowlists and executing privileged bot commands. The severity is critical (CVSS 9.8) due to the possibility of remote unauthenticated command execution. The actual impact depends on the enabled commands and network exposure of the deployment.

A fix is available in OpenClaw CLI version 2026.2.1 and later. Users should upgrade to this version. Additionally, configure a strong 'channels.telegram.webhookSecret' and ensure that any reverse proxy forwards the 'X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Token' header without modification. The vendor has implemented multiple defense-in-depth measures including requiring the webhook secret, binding the listener to loopback by default, limiting request size and time, and runtime validation to reject startup without a secret.