Which versions of OpenClaw are affected by CVE-2026-53817?

OpenClaw versions before 2026.5.22 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability enabling authenticated users to escalate temporary device access into persistent administrative credentials.. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-53817?

Within 24 hours: Inventory OpenClaw deployments and identify systems running versions prior to 2026.5.22. Within 7 days: Apply vendor patch by upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.5.22 or later across all affected systems. Within 30 days: Conduct audit of administrative tokens and device credentials to detect unauthorized modifications; verify patch deployment across entire environment.

OpenClaw CVE-2026-53817

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-53817?

CVE-2026-53817 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

EUVD-2026-36323 HIGH

Authentication Bypass by Spoofing (CWE-290)

2026-06-11 VulnCheck

GHSA-chr9-m4q2-76hw

Authentication Bypass Openclaw

8.7

CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck

Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY

8.7 HIGH

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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

vuln.today AI

8.8 HIGH

Network-reachable pairing endpoint (AV:N), no special conditions beyond holding a temporary shared-access session (AC:L, PR:L), no user interaction, and full compromise of the vulnerable Control UI yielding admin tokens (C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Jun 11, 2026 - 21:22 vuln.today

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw before 2026.5.22 contains a locality validation vulnerability in Control UI pairing that allows attackers with network access to spoof locality information and obtain durable admin-capable device tokens. Attackers can exploit insufficient locality-derived trust validation to convert temporary shared access into persistent administrative credentials that survive token rotation.

AnalysisAI

Authentication bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.5.22 allows authenticated network attackers to spoof locality information during Control UI device pairing and escalate temporary shared access into durable, admin-capable device tokens that persist across token rotation. The flaw stems from insufficient locality-derived trust validation (CWE-290), enabling lateral conversion of low-privilege sessions into persistent administrative credentials. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but a vendor patch and VulnCheck advisory are available.

Technical ContextAI

OpenClaw's Control UI pairing flow uses locality signals (network proximity or origin indicators) as an implicit trust factor when issuing device tokens. CWE-290 (Authentication Bypass by Spoofing) applies here because the pairing logic relies on attacker-influenceable locality data rather than cryptographically bound peer identity, so a remote actor can present forged locality context and receive tokens with administrative capability. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers all OpenClaw application versions prior to 2026.5.22. Crucially, the tokens issued in this flow are durable and survive normal token rotation, meaning the trust decision made during pairing has long-lived security consequences rather than being a transient session artifact.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: OpenClaw 2026.5.22 - upgrade to this version or later per the GHSA-chr9-m4q2-76hw advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-chr9-m4q2-76hw. Until the upgrade is deployed, restrict network reachability of the Control UI pairing endpoint to trusted management networks or a VPN to deny attackers the ability to present spoofed locality (trade-off: legitimate remote pairing workflows will break), and revoke any device tokens issued during the vulnerable window because they persist through rotation and a passive patch will not invalidate already-minted admin-capable tokens. Disable or tightly scope temporary shared-access features that can be escalated through pairing if your deployment supports doing so, accepting reduced collaboration convenience as the trade-off. Cross-reference the VulnCheck writeup at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-control-ui-locality-spoofing-in-device-pairing for any vendor-published indicators of compromise.