CVE-2026-53822
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 · uneditedOpenClaw before 2026.5.18 contains a command injection vulnerability where shell wrapper argv could change between approval and execution. Attackers can rebuild command arguments after allowlist approval to execute unapproved command shapes, potentially bypassing security controls.
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 confidenceOpenClaw before 2026.5.18 has a command injection vulnerability where the shell wrapper's argv (command arguments) can be modified between security allowlist approval and actual execution. Attackers can rebuild command arguments after the allowlist check passes, allowing execution of unapproved command shapes and bypassing security controls.
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< 2026.5.18CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify OpenClaw installation and versionLocate the OpenClaw installation directory and check the version metadata (such as a version file, executable version info, or package manager record). Compare the version number to 2026.5.18.Affected if The installed version is lower than 2026.5.18 (e.g., 2026.5.17, 2026.5.0, or any earlier release).
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Verify command wrapper is in useExamine the OpenClaw configuration or codebase for evidence that a shell wrapper with command approval is implemented. Look for files related to command allowlisting, argv handling, or command execution gating.Affected if The shell wrapper module with allowlist checking exists in the deployment and is being used to gate command execution.
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Inspect argv handling between check and useReview the source code or binary behavior of the command wrapper to confirm that command arguments (argv) are stored before the allowlist check and then re-used or rebuilt at execution time, rather than being validated atomically.Affected if The code shows that argv can be modified after the allowlist validation passes but before execve or similar execution occurs.
A user is affected if OpenClaw version is below 2026.5.18 AND the command wrapper with allowlist approval is enabled, allowing argv modification between approval and execution.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data2026.5.18
Implement atomic command validation where arguments are captured and immutable at approval time, or re-validate arguments immediately before execution to prevent TOCTOU-style argument manipulation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53822 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53822 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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