Which versions of OpenClaw are affected by CVE-2026-53853?

OpenClaw (versions before 2026.5.12) contains an authorization bypass flaw that permits authenticated users to execute commands with elevated privileges in violation of security policies, directly…. A patch is available.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2026-53853?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2026-53853. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.3%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-53853?

Within 24 hours: Audit all OpenClaw deployments and identify systems running versions before 2026.5.12; document current usage, privileged accounts, and dependent systems. Within 7 days: Restrict OpenClaw access to a minimal set of critical administrators; enable comprehensive audit logging of all OpenClaw execution with argument capture; implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable systems. Within 30 days: Monitor vendor security advisories for patch release; develop contingency plan for OpenClaw removal or replacement if patch timeline is unacceptable; evaluate alternative access control solutions.

OpenClaw CVE-2026-53853

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-53853?

CVE-2026-53853 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.6 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/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: 0.3%.

EUVD-2026-37155 HIGH

Protection Mechanism Failure (CWE-693)

2026-06-16 VulnCheck

GHSA-3v3j-737j-7g74

GHSA-v2ww-5rh7-2h5v

Authentication Bypass Apple Openclaw

7.6

CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck

Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY

7.6 HIGH

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

8.3 HIGH

Network-reachable exec API, low complexity bypass, requires a low-privileged account (PR:L), no user interaction; arbitrary command execution drives C:H/I:H with limited A:L.

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

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

Patch available

Jun 16, 2026 - 20:02 EUVD

Analysis Generated

Jun 16, 2026 - 18:53 vuln.today

CVE Published

Jun 16, 2026 - 18:05 cve.org

HIGH 7.6

DescriptionCVE.org

OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 contains an argument pattern validation bypass in the exec allowlist that allows attackers to execute disallowed arguments for allowlisted executables on Linux and macOS systems. Attackers can bypass configured argPattern restrictions by directly invoking allowlisted executables with unrestricted arguments, potentially enabling unauthorized file access, network access, or command execution.

AnalysisAI

Allowlist bypass in OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 lets authenticated attackers invoke approved executables with arbitrary arguments on Linux and macOS, defeating the argPattern restrictions intended to constrain each binary's permitted invocations. The flaw enables disallowed file access, network access, or command execution under the privileges of the OpenClaw exec subsystem, with no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

Technical ContextAI

OpenClaw exposes an exec allowlist that pairs each permitted executable with an argPattern regex used to validate caller-supplied arguments. The protection mechanism failure (CWE-693) is that argPattern enforcement can be circumvented when an allowlisted binary is invoked directly with arguments that should have been rejected, so the validation gate that operators rely on to scope what each binary may do is effectively non-binding. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:openclaw:openclaw:* on Linux and macOS deployments.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: 2026.5.12 - upgrade OpenClaw to 2026.5.12 or later per the GHSA-v2ww-5rh7-2h5v advisory (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-v2ww-5rh7-2h5v). Until the upgrade is applied, compensating controls include removing high-impact binaries (shells, interpreters, curl, sh-wrappers) from the exec allowlist entirely rather than relying on argPattern, restricting which authenticated principals can reach the exec endpoint via network ACLs or reverse-proxy auth, and running the OpenClaw exec subsystem under a tightly scoped OS user with no write access to sensitive paths; each of these reduces blast radius at the cost of dropping legitimate allowlisted use cases that previously depended on argPattern shaping.