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OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-53864

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.5.26 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 2026.5.26 contains an insufficient sanitization vulnerability in the host environment sanitizer that allows Node.js control variables to bypass validation. Attackers with access to workspace .env files, tool environment overrides, or skill environment blocks can pass malicious Node.js control variables to influence child processes or coverage output paths.

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 · high confidence

OpenClaw before 2026.5.26 has an insufficient sanitization vulnerability in its host environment sanitizer that allows Node.js control variables (e.g., NODE_OPTIONS, NODE_ENV) to bypass validation when set through workspace .env files, tool environment overrides, or skill environment blocks. This enables attackers with access to these configuration points to influence child process behavior or manipulate coverage output paths.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.26 or later which includes proper sanitization of Node.js control variables in the host environment sanitizer. Additionally, restrict access to .env files and environment configuration to trusted personnel only.

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:< 2026.5.26= 2026.5.26

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check OpenClaw version
    Run 'openclaw --version' or check the package.json/version file in the OpenClaw installation directory
    Affected if Version is less than 2026.5.26 or equals 2026.5.26
  2. Inspect workspace .env files for Node.js variables
    Search all .env files in workspace directories for lines containing 'NODE_OPTIONS' or 'NODE_ENV'
    Affected if Any .env file contains NODE_OPTIONS or NODE_ENV variable definitions
  3. Review tool environment overrides
    Examine OpenClaw tool configuration files or database entries that define environment variable overrides for tools
    Affected if Any tool configuration includes NODE_OPTIONS or NODE_ENV in its environment block
  4. Examine skill environment blocks
    Review skill definition files or configuration that contain environment variable blocks
    Affected if Any skill configuration defines NODE_OPTIONS or NODE_ENV in its environment settings

A user is affected if their OpenClaw version is below 2026.5.26 AND any .env file, tool override, or skill block contains NODE_OPTIONS or NODE_ENV variables that could bypass the host environment sanitizer.

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 2026.5.26 or later
Fixed in 2026.5.26
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.26 or later which includes proper sanitization of Node.js control variables in the host environment sanitizer. Additionally, restrict access to .env files and environment configuration to trusted personnel only.

Recommended fix High confidence

OpenClaw 2026.5.26 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of OpenClaw by checking the application metadata or CLI version command
  2. 2. Create a backup of all workspace .env files, tool environment configurations, and skill environment blocks before upgrading
  3. 3. Upgrade OpenClaw to version 2026.5.26 or later (the fixed release) using the official upgrade mechanism (e.g., package manager, docker image tag, or binary update)
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify that the host environment sanitizer properly sanitizes Node.js control variables (NODE_*) in .env files, tool overrides, and skill blocks
  5. 5. Test that child processes and coverage output paths cannot be influenced by malicious Node.js control variables

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-2026-53864 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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