dbcve.org
OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-53836

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-12
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 an allowlist bypass vulnerability in PowerShell encoded-command handling that allows attackers to execute encoded commands using abbreviated flag aliases not recognized by the allowlist parser. Remote authenticated operators can bypass execution allowlist checks by using unrecognized encoded-command alias forms to execute arbitrary PowerShell content.

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 version 2026.5.12 contains an allowlist bypass vulnerability in PowerShell encoded-command handling. The allowlist parser fails to recognize abbreviated flag aliases, allowing authenticated remote attackers to bypass execution restrictions and execute arbitrary PowerShell commands by using unrecognized alias forms.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.5.12 or later which patches the allowlist parser to handle abbreviated aliases. As a compensating control, restrict remote operator privileges and monitor for anomalous encoded PowerShell command patterns.

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
    Locate the OpenClaw installation directory and check the version file or binary metadata. Common locations include /opt/openclaw, /usr/local/openclaw, or the application root directory. Use 'openclaw --version' or check version.json/version.txt if present.
    Affected if OpenClaw is installed and the version is earlier than 2026.5.12 (e.g., 2026.5.11, 2026.4.0, etc.)
  2. Verify PowerShell encoded-command feature is exposed
    Inspect the OpenClaw configuration files (e.g., config.json, settings.yaml, or similar) for settings related to PowerShell execution, encoded commands, or shell command handling. Look for parameters such as 'powershell', 'encodedCommand', 'exec', or 'shell' in the configuration.
    Affected if The PowerShell encoded-command feature is enabled or configurable in the OpenClaw environment
  3. Review command allowlist configuration
    Examine any allowlist or whitelist configuration files that define permitted PowerShell commands. Search for entries like 'allowedCommands', 'whitelist', or similar constructs in the config directory. Note which command forms are recognized (full flags vs aliases).
    Affected if The allowlist only recognizes full flag forms (e.g., -EncodedCommand) but not abbreviated forms (e.g., -e), indicating incomplete validation logic
  4. Confirm authentication and remote access exposure
    Determine if OpenClaw exposes remote authentication mechanisms (API, web interface, CLI over network) that could be accessed by remote attackers to send PowerShell commands.
    Affected if OpenClaw accepts authenticated remote requests that can trigger PowerShell execution with custom arguments

A user is affected if OpenClaw version is earlier than 2026.5.12 AND the PowerShell encoded-command feature with an allowlist is accessible to authenticated users, allowing bypass via short-form parameters like -e.

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 patches the allowlist parser to handle abbreviated aliases. As a compensating control, restrict remote operator privileges and monitor for anomalous encoded PowerShell command patterns.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

OpenClaw 2026.5.12 or later

  1. Check the current OpenClaw version by running the version command or checking the software metadata
  2. Back up the current OpenClaw configuration and any custom settings
  3. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.5.12 or later using the standard upgrade procedure for your deployment method (package manager, binary replacement, etc.)
  4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new version number
  5. Test that the PowerShell encoded-command allowlist now properly blocks commands using abbreviated flag aliases (e.g., -e, -enc, -encodedcommand variants not previously recognized)

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

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation5.0 h
  • Implementation10.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
26.0 hours of engineering $4,540
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,264.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53836 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-53836 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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