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OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-53842

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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 2026.5.2 contains an environment variable injection vulnerability allowing workspace .env files to influence Python runtime selection through CLOUDSDK_PYTHON during Gmail setup gcloud execution. Attackers with repository access can manipulate the CLOUDSDK_PYTHON variable to execute setup through unintended local Python paths, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution.

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 2026.5.2 is vulnerable to environment variable injection via workspace .env files that can set CLOUDSDK_PYTHON to an attacker-controlled Python interpreter path. During Gmail setup gcloud execution, the application uses this environment variable to select the Python runtime, allowing attackers with repository access to achieve arbitrary code execution by pointing to malicious Python binaries.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.2 or later. Additionally, validate and restrict environment variables from .env files, particularly CLOUDSDK_PYTHON, and use a hardened/sanitized Python path configuration for gcloud operations.

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:< 2026.5.2= 2026.5.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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. Check OpenClaw version
    Run 'openclaw --version' or check the installed package version using your package manager (pip show openclaw, npm list openclaw, etc.)
    Affected if Version is before 2026.5.2 or exactly 2026.5.2
  2. Inspect workspace .env files
    Search for .env files in the workspace/repository (find . -name '.env' 2>/dev/null) and review their contents for any CLOUDSDK_PYTHON setting
    Affected if A .env file exists and contains CLOUDSDK_PYTHON set to a custom or untrusted path
  3. Check current environment for CLOUDSDK_PYTHON
    Run 'echo $CLOUDSDK_PYTHON' or 'Get-ChildItem Env:CLOUDSDK_PYTHON' in PowerShell on Windows
    Affected if CLOUDSDK_PYTHON is set to any path other than the system Python interpreter (e.g., points to a non-standard or user-controlled location)
  4. Review workspace configuration files
    Check workspace config files (openclaw.json, workspace.yaml, or similar) for any Python path overrides or environment variable settings related to gcloud
    Affected if Configuration specifies a custom Python path or passes CLOUDSDK_PYTHON to gcloud operations
  5. Audit repository access and .env file history
    Review git log for recent changes to .env files (git log --all --full-history -- .env) and check for untrusted contributors with write access to .env files
    Affected if Any untrusted or external contributor has modified .env files in the repository

A user is affected if OpenClaw version is less than 2026.5.2 or equals 2026.5.2 AND there is a CLOUDSDK_PYTHON environment variable in a .env file or the current environment pointing to a non-standard Python path.

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 2026.5.2 or later
Fixed in 2026.5.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.2 or later. Additionally, validate and restrict environment variables from .env files, particularly CLOUDSDK_PYTHON, and use a hardened/sanitized Python path configuration for gcloud operations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Openclaw 2026.5.2 or later stable release

  1. 1. Identify all Openclaw installations in the environment running version < 2026.5.2 or = 2026.5.2
  2. 2. Backup all workspace .env files and Openclaw configuration before proceeding
  3. 3. Upgrade Openclaw to version 2026.5.2 or later following standard upgrade procedures
  4. 4. After upgrade, audit all workspace .env files to ensure CLOUDSDK_PYTHON is not set to untrusted paths
  5. 5. Implement workspace .env file validation to prevent future setting of CLOUDSDK_PYTHON or other interpreter path variables
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Openclaw version
Caveat Review release notes for 2026.5.2 for any configuration or workflow changes that may affect existing setups

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

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2026-53842 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