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OpenclawApplication

CVE-2026-53866

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2026.5.12 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 2026.5.12 contains an allowlist bypass vulnerability in shell inline-command parsing that allows authenticated operators to execute unapproved commands. A command request using shell inline-command forms could route through a parser case missing the expected allowlist decision, enabling shell content execution without intended approval prompts.

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 confidence

OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 has an allowlist bypass in shell inline-command parsing where certain command request forms route through a parser case missing the expected allowlist decision logic. This allows authenticated operators to execute unapproved shell commands without triggering approval prompts.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.5.12 or later to obtain the patch that adds the missing allowlist validation to the vulnerable parser code path.

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:< 2026.5.12= 2026.5.12

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 installed OpenClaw version
    Run 'openclaw --version' or inspect the package version via your package manager (pip show openclaw, npm list openclaw, etc.)
    Affected if Version is below 2026.5.12 or equals 2026.5.12
  2. Identify the shell command parser configuration
    Locate the OpenClaw configuration file (typically in /etc/openclaw/, ~/.openclaw/, or your project's config directory) and examine settings related to shell command execution and allowlist enforcement
    Affected if Shell command execution is enabled and an allowlist is defined but may not cover all parser entry points
  3. Verify allowlist coverage for inline command forms
    If you have access to the OpenClaw source code or logs, examine which parser code paths handle different command request forms (GET/POST parameters, API endpoints, CLI arguments) and check if all paths reference the allowlist validation logic
    Affected if Some command request forms bypass the allowlist check while others enforce it (inconsistent allowlist enforcement across parser cases)
  4. Review authentication and command execution logs
    Check OpenClaw operational logs for authenticated operator command executions, specifically looking for commands that executed without generating approval prompts when an allowlist should have been triggered
    Affected if Authenticated commands execute without approval prompts despite being unapproved and should have triggered allowlist validation

You are affected if OpenClaw version is less than or equal to 2026.5.12 and shell command allowlisting is enabled but some command submission forms bypass the allowlist validation logic.

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 2026.5.12 or later
Fixed in 2026.5.12
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OpenClaw version 2026.5.12 or later to obtain the patch that adds the missing allowlist validation to the vulnerable parser code path.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

2026.5.13 or later stable release

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of OpenClaw by checking the application or configuration files
  2. 2. Review release notes or changelog on the official OpenClaw GitHub repository (github.com) to confirm the exact fixed release version after 2026.5.12
  3. 3. Backup the current OpenClaw configuration and data directory before upgrading
  4. 4. Upgrade OpenClaw to the latest stable release that includes the fix for the allowlist bypass vulnerability
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new version number
  6. 6. Test shell inline-command functionality to confirm the allowlist is properly enforced

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openclaw Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2026-53866 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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