CVE-2026-53855
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 2026.4.2 contains an inline-eval bypass vulnerability allowing authenticated operators to weaken strict allowlist checks via shell positional parameters. Attackers can combine allowlisted tools with shell positional arguments to place inline-eval content in shell carriers outside intended allowlist rules, enabling execution of unapproved shell-provided 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 confidenceOpenClaw before 6.4.2 contains an inline-eval bypass where authenticated operators can leverage shell positional parameters ($1, $2, etc.) combined with allowlisted tools to inject and execute unapproved shell content outside the intended allowlist boundaries. The vulnerability exploits how the allowlist validation only checks tool names but not the shell variable expansion that can carry arbitrary payloads.
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< 2026.4.2CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 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/version file in the installation directory. Compare the version number to 2026.4.2.Affected if The installed version is before 2026.4.2 (e.g., 2026.4.1, 2026.4.0, earlier versions).
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Verify inline-eval functionality is enabledInspect the OpenClaw configuration file (typically in /etc/openclaw/ or the config directory) for settings related to inline-eval, command execution, or eval features. Look for flags like 'enable_inline_eval', 'allow_eval', or similar.Affected if Inline-eval is enabled and accessible to authenticated operators.
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Confirm operator authentication is activeCheck the authentication configuration to verify that operator accounts are enabled and can access the system. Look for user/role configuration files or authentication settings.Affected if Operator authentication is enabled, allowing authenticated users to access command execution features.
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Inspect the shell tool allowlist configurationExamine the allowlist configuration that defines which shell tools are permitted for inline-eval execution. Look for a whitelist file or configuration section listing approved commands.Affected if The allowlist exists and contains shell tools, but does not filter or block shell positional parameters ($1, $2, etc.) in the arguments.
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Test for shell positional parameter injectionIf inline-eval is accessible, attempt to invoke an allowlisted tool with shell positional parameters (e.g., '$1', '$2') as arguments to see if they are processed by the shell rather than being treated as literal strings.Affected if The system expands shell positional parameters in allowlisted tool arguments, allowing injection of arbitrary shell content beyond the intended allowlist.
You are affected if OpenClaw is installed with a version prior to 2026.4.2 AND the inline-eval feature is enabled for authenticated operators with a shell tool allowlist that does not restrict shell positional parameter expansion.
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 · scoped2026.4.2
Harden the allowlist validation to inspect and restrict shell positional parameters, or redesign the inline-eval to use parameterized execution instead of shell expansion to prevent content injection via $1, $2, etc.
OpenClaw 2026.4.2
- 1. Identify current OpenClaw installation version using the package manager or application version command
- 2. Backup the current OpenClaw configuration and data directory before proceeding
- 3. Update package repositories to ensure latest packages are available
- 4. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.4.2 or later using the appropriate package manager (e.g., apt upgrade, yum update, or pip install -U)
- 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version
- 6. Restart the OpenClaw service to apply the updated components
- 7. Review and test allowlist configurations to ensure the shell positional parameter bypass is mitigated
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53855 — 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-2026-53855 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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