CVE-2026-53856
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 2026.4.23 before 2026.4.24 contains an insecure file permissions vulnerability in config recovery that restores OpenClaw.json with overly broad permissions. Local attackers on shared hosts can read sensitive configuration data by exploiting the recovery path to access the restored config file.
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 versions prior to 2026.4.24 have an insecure file permissions vulnerability in the config recovery functionality. When restoring the OpenClaw.json configuration file, the application saves it with overly broad (world-readable) permissions, allowing local attackers on shared hosting environments to read sensitive configuration data.
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= 2026.4.23CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 versionRun 'openclaw --version' or examine the application binary/version file to determine the installed versionAffected if Version is 2026.4.23 or any version prior to 2026.4.24
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Locate OpenClaw.json configuration fileFind the OpenClaw.json file in the application config directory, user home directory, or working directory where OpenClaw is executedAffected if OpenClaw.json file exists in any accessible location
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Inspect file permissions on OpenClaw.jsonRun 'ls -la <path-to-OpenClaw.json>' or 'stat <path-to-OpenClaw.json>' to view the permission bitsAffected if Permissions allow read access for 'others' group (octal 644, 666, or any permission string containing 'r--r--r--' or 'rw-rw-rw-')
You are affected if running OpenClaw version 2026.4.23 or earlier AND the OpenClaw.json configuration file exists with world-readable permissions (others can read the file).
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 · scopedUpgrade to OpenClaw 2026.4.24 or later which fixes the file permissions issue. As a workaround, manually set restrictive permissions (e.g., chmod 600) on the OpenClaw.json file after recovery.
2026.4.24
- 1. Identify current OpenClaw version by running 'openclaw --version' or checking the application binary
- 2. Back up the existing OpenClaw.json configuration file to preserve any custom settings
- 3. Obtain OpenClaw version 2026.4.24 from the official GitHub repository (github.com/OpenClaw)
- 4. Install the updated version following the official installation procedure for your operating system
- 5. After upgrade, verify the installation: 'openclaw --version' should report 2026.4.24
- 6. Restore backed-up configuration settings to the new OpenClaw.json if needed
- 7. Verify that the config file has appropriate file permissions (restrictive owner read/write only)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53856 — 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-2026-53856 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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