CVE-2026-53838
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 2026.5.27 contains a state mutation vulnerability in node pairing reconnection that allows paired nodes to confuse approval scope decisions. Attackers can exploit reconnection logic to restore or present broader node authority than intended, potentially bypassing approval restrictions.
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 2026.5.27 has a state mutation vulnerability in the node pairing reconnection logic. When nodes reconnect, the approval scope decisions can be confused, allowing attackers to restore or present broader node authority than originally intended and bypass approval restrictions.
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< 2026.5.27CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Check OpenClaw installed versionRun 'openclaw --version' or check the package manifest to determine the installed OpenClaw versionAffected if Version is lower than 2026.5.27
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Verify node pairing feature is enabledInspect OpenClaw configuration files or runtime settings for node pairing module statusAffected if Node pairing is enabled and version is below 2026.5.27
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Inspect node pairing reconnection settingsExamine configuration parameters related to node reconnection logic, specifically around node authority restorationAffected if Reconnection logic permits restoring broader node authority than originally granted
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Review approval scope configurationCheck the current approval scope definitions for paired nodes to detect any unexpected escalationAffected if Approval scope appears expanded beyond original grants after reconnection events
A user is affected if running OpenClaw version below 2026.5.27 with node pairing enabled and the node reconnection logic can be manipulated to restore broader approval authority than originally configured.
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.
dbcve · scoped2026.5.27
Upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.27 or later. In the meantime, disable or restrict node pairing functionality and implement additional validation on reconnection to ensure node authority matches the originally approved scope.
Openclaw 2026.5.27
- 1. Identify all deployments running Openclaw versions prior to 2026.5.27
- 2. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade process
- 3. Backup current Openclaw configuration and state data
- 4. Upgrade Openclaw to version 2026.5.27 or later using the vendor's recommended upgrade procedure
- 5. Verify the node pairing reconnection logic is functioning correctly after upgrade
- 6. Test that approval scope decisions work as intended with paired nodes
- 7. Monitor system logs for any residual issues related to node authority or approval restrictions
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $4,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53838 — 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-2026-53838 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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