diff --git a/packages/input_secrets/src/input_secrets.ts b/packages/input_secrets/src/input_secrets.ts
index a6fe9ae7d..d317ad9ea 100644
--- a/packages/input_secrets/src/input_secrets.ts
+++ b/packages/input_secrets/src/input_secrets.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-import ow from 'ow';
 import { KeyObject } from 'crypto';
 import { privateDecrypt, publicEncrypt } from '@apify/utilities';
 
+import { ow } from './ow';
+
 const BASE64_REGEXP = /[-A-Za-z0-9+/]*={0,3}/;
 const ENCRYPTED_INPUT_VALUE_PREFIX = 'ENCRYPTED_VALUE';
 const ENCRYPTED_INPUT_VALUE_REGEXP = new RegExp(`^${ENCRYPTED_INPUT_VALUE_PREFIX}:(${BASE64_REGEXP.source}):(${BASE64_REGEXP.source})$`);
diff --git a/packages/input_secrets/src/ow.ts b/packages/input_secrets/src/ow.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..63a8d72d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/input_secrets/src/ow.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+// This file is needed to solve ow's false representation of the package in older versions.
+
+// In CJS, to use ow, you need to call ow.default
+// In ESM, you'd think `import ow from 'ow'` works, but it doesn't, because you need to import ow and use the default PROPERTY, not export.
+
+import type { Ow } from 'ow';
+import defOw = require('ow');
+
+export const ow: Ow = defOw.default as Ow;