What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-53853: OpenClaw < 2026.5.12 - Argument Pattern Bypass in Exec Allowlist via Linux and macOS

• Severity: high (CVSS 8.3 v3.1)
• Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
• EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
• Public exploit or detection template: none known
• Published: 2026-06-16 · updated 2026-06-18
• Weakness: CWE-693

Description

OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 contains an argument pattern validation bypass in the exec allowlist that allows attackers to execute disallowed arguments for allowlisted executables on Linux and macOS systems. Attackers can bypass configured argPattern restrictions by directly invoking allowlisted executables with unrestricted arguments, potentially enabling unauthorized file access, network access, or command execution.

Affected products

• OpenClaw: before 2026.5.12; 2026.5.12-beta1, 2026.5.12-beta2, 2026.5.12-beta3, 2026.5.12-beta4, 2026.5.12-beta5, 2026.5.12-beta6 (+2) — fixed in 2026.5.12

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: OpenClaw 2026.5.12. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

• https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-v2ww-5rh7-2h5v
• https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-argument-pattern-bypass-in-exec-allowlist-via-linux-and-macos

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