CVE-2026-53861
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 2026.5.6 contains an allowlist bypass vulnerability in the macOS Swift exec feature that misses combined POSIX inline-command flags. Attackers can execute shell content outside the intended allowlist check by using combined flag forms, potentially allowing unauthorized command execution depending on operator configuration.
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 2026.5.6 has an allowlist bypass in its macOS Swift exec feature due to incomplete parsing of combined POSIX inline-command flags. The allowlist validation only checks for individual flag forms (e.g., -x) but misses combined forms (e.g., -xyz), allowing attackers to embed shell content outside the intended allowlist boundaries and potentially execute unauthorized commands.
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< 2026.5.6= 2026.5.6CVSS 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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Determine installed OpenClaw versionRun 'openclaw --version' or check the application bundle info to retrieve the version numberAffected if The installed version is any version before the patched release (2026.5.6) or exactly 2026.5.6
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Identify if macOS Swift exec feature is enabledReview OpenClaw configuration files or operator settings to see if the Swift exec module is active and accessible to operatorsAffected if The macOS Swift exec feature is enabled and accessible to non-admin operators
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Locate allowlist configuration for the exec featureSearch configuration files (typically in /etc/openclaw/, ~/.openclaw/, or application data directories) for exec-related allowlist settingsAffected if An allowlist is configured but the configuration does not explicitly account for combined flag formats like -abc
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Inspect operator command execution logsReview OpenClaw execution logs or audit trails for any exec commands containing combined flag patterns (e.g., flags that appear as single strings rather than space-separated arguments)Affected if Commands using combined POSIX-style flags (-abc) are being executed when they should have been blocked by the allowlist
You are affected if OpenClaw is installed with the macOS Swift exec feature enabled and your current version is any release before the patched version 2026.5.6.
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 · scoped2026.5.6
Upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.6 or later which includes proper handling of combined POSIX flags in the allowlist validation. If immediate upgrade is not possible, review and restrict operator configurations to limit exposure.
2026.5.6
- Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.5.6 or later
- After upgrading, verify the macOS Swift exec feature now properly validates combined POSIX inline-command flags (e.g., -c, -s flags) within the allowlist
- Test that the allowlist correctly blocks shell content attempting to bypass checks using combined flag forms
- Confirm the upgrade completed successfully by checking the OpenClaw version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53861 — 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-2026-53861 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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