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CVE-2026-53858 OpenClaw CVE debrief

CVE-2026-53858 is a HIGH severity vulnerability in OpenClaw before version 2026.5.2. The vulnerability is caused by an environment variable injection issue where the workspace .env STATE_DIRECTORY could influence bundled runtime dependency roots. This allows attackers to manipulate the STATE_DIRECTORY variable to load runtime dependencies from unintended local paths, potentially executing malicious code during dependency resolution. The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score for this vulnerability is 7.0.

Vendor
OpenClaw
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 7
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-06-16
Original CVE updated
2026-06-18
Advisory published
2026-06-16
Advisory updated
2026-06-18

Who should care

Users of OpenClaw before version 2026.5.2 should apply the patch to prevent potential exploitation of this vulnerability.

Technical summary

The vulnerability exists in OpenClaw before version 2026.5.2. An attacker can manipulate the STATE_DIRECTORY variable to load runtime dependencies from unintended local paths, potentially leading to malicious code execution during dependency resolution.

Defensive priority

HIGH

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply the patch by updating OpenClaw to version 2026.5.2 or later.
  • Review and monitor the STATE_DIRECTORY variable to prevent unintended manipulation.

Evidence notes

The CVE record was published on [resourceLinkAnnotations id='cve-org']CVE.org[/resourceLinkAnnotations] and additional details can be found on [resourceLinkAnnotations id='nvd']NVD[/resourceLinkAnnotations].

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2026-53858 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53858

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2026-53858 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53858

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-wc84-j36w-pw4x

    [email protected]

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-arbitrary-runtime-dependency-loading-via-state-directory-environment-variable

    [email protected]

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.