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OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-53806

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.5.12 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 contains a shell option parsing vulnerability that allows combined POSIX shell flags to bypass exec revalidation checks. Attackers can exploit this by using combined shell options to execute inline shell content without intended allowlist validation, potentially enabling unauthorized command execution when the affected feature is enabled.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 has a shell option parsing vulnerability where combined POSIX shell flags (e.g., -c options chained together) bypass exec revalidation checks. This allows attackers to execute inline shell content without allowlist validation, enabling unauthorized command execution when the affected feature is enabled.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.5.12 or later which contains the fix for proper shell option parsing and allowlist validation. If upgrading is not immediately possible, disable the affected feature until the patch can be applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenclawApplication
Affected:< 2026.5.12

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify OpenClaw installation and version
    Run 'openclaw --version' or check the package manager for the installed OpenClaw package version
    Affected if The installed version is less than 2026.5.12
  2. Locate the exec configuration file
    Search for configuration files named exec.conf, shell_exec.conf, or similar in /etc/openclaw/, /opt/openclaw/conf/, or the application's config directory
    Affected if An exec or shell execution configuration file exists and contains settings related to command execution
  3. Determine if shell execution feature is enabled
    Inspect the exec configuration file for settings such as 'enable_shell_exec', 'allow_exec', 'shell_enabled', or similar boolean flags that control shell command execution
    Affected if The shell execution feature is explicitly enabled (set to true, yes, or 1)
  4. Review exec allowlist configuration
    Check the same configuration file for allowlist settings like 'exec_whitelist', 'allowed_commands', or 'permit_list' that define which commands are permitted
    Affected if An allowlist is configured but the check can be bypassed by shell option flags (the vulnerability exists in the parsing logic)

You are affected if OpenClaw version is below 2026.5.12 AND the shell execution feature is enabled in the configuration, allowing potential bypass of exec allowlist validation through specially crafted shell option flags.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2026.5.12 or later
Fixed in 2026.5.12
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.5.12 or later which contains the fix for proper shell option parsing and allowlist validation. If upgrading is not immediately possible, disable the affected feature until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

2026.5.12

  1. 1. Identify the current OpenClaw installation version by checking the application or package manager
  2. 2. Review the current configuration for any custom exec or shell-related allowlist settings
  3. 3. Create a backup of the OpenClaw configuration and any relevant data
  4. 4. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.5.12 or later using the appropriate package manager or installation method (e.g., pip install openclaw==2026.5.12, docker pull openclaw:2026.5.12, or system package upgrade)
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify that the new version is running (openclaw --version or similar)
  6. 6. Test the exec/shell functionality to confirm the allowlist validation is working correctly with combined shell flags
  7. 7. Monitor logs for any attempted exploit activity

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,820
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53806 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data