CVE-2026-53865
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 2026.5.2 contains a path traversal vulnerability in maintenance task execution that allows workspace-derived service paths to influence trash command selection. Attackers can execute unintended local executables from operator-unintended paths during maintenance operations by manipulating workspace-derived environment 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 · moderate confidenceOpenClaw before 2026.5.2 has a path traversal vulnerability in maintenance task execution where workspace-derived service paths influence trash command selection. Attackers can manipulate environment paths to execute unintended local executables from operator-unintended paths during maintenance 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< 2026.5.26= 2026.5.26CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 installed OpenClaw versionRun 'openclaw --version' or check the package manifest/binary metadata to determine the exact version numberAffected if Version is less than 2026.5.2 or equals 2026.5.26
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Identify workspace-derived service path configurationInspect OpenClaw configuration files (e.g., openclaw.conf, workspace.xml) for entries defining service paths, particularly those referencing workspace-relative or user-controlled pathsAffected if Service paths are derived from or influenced by workspace configuration files
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Verify maintenance task execution is accessibleCheck if maintenance task functionality is enabled by examining config settings or CLI flags related to maintenance/trash operations (e.g., --maintenance, --cleanup, or similar)Affected if Maintenance task execution feature is enabled and operational
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Inspect environment variables influencing path selectionReview environment variables such as PATH, OCLAW_SERVICE_PATH, WORKSPACE_PATH, or custom variables that OpenClaw may use to locate executables during maintenance operationsAffected if Environment variables can be manipulated to inject alternate paths for trash command selection
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Review trash command configurationExamine logs, config, or runtime settings that define which trash/cleanup commands OpenClaw executes and from which paths those commands are sourcedAffected if Trash command selection relies on workspace-influenced service paths without explicit path validation
Environment is affected if running OpenClaw version < 2026.5.2 or = 2026.5.26, workspace-derived service paths are in use, and maintenance operations that execute trash commands are performed.
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.
From vendor data2026.5.26
Upgrade to OpenClaw 2026.5.2 or later which includes proper path validation to prevent traversal attacks in workspace-derived service paths.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53865 — 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-2026-53865 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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