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High severity8.8NVD Advisory· Published Jun 12, 2026

CVE-2026-53828

CVE-2026-53828

Description

OpenClaw before 2026.5.6 has an authorization bypass in native command handling allowing authenticated senders to execute owner-only commands.

AI Insight

LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.

OpenClaw before 2026.5.6 has an authorization bypass in native command handling allowing authenticated senders to execute owner-only commands.

Vulnerability

OpenClaw versions before 2026.5.6 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability in native command handling ([1], [2]). When the affected feature is enabled, the system fails to properly enforce the configured owner-only command policy, allowing authenticated senders to execute commands that should be restricted to privileged owner users. The vulnerability resides in the native command processing logic and is reachable when the feature is active.

Exploitation

An attacker with authenticated access (low privileges) can exploit this vulnerability by triggering native command handling. No additional user interaction or race condition is required. The attacker simply sends a native command that is marked as owner-only; the authorization check is bypassed, and the command is executed without proper enforcement of access controls.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute privileged owner-style commands, potentially leading to high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CVSS 8.8). The practical impact depends on the operator's configuration and whether lower-trust input can reach the vulnerable code path ([1]). In a worst-case scenario, an attacker could gain full control of the OpenClaw gateway.

Mitigation

The vulnerability is fixed in version 2026.5.6 ([1], [2]). Until patched, administrators should limit native command surfaces to trusted senders, keep channel and tool allowlists narrow, avoid sharing one gateway between mutually untrusted users, and disable the affected feature if not needed ([1]). No workaround fully mitigates the risk short of upgrading.

References
  1. Native command authorization could skip owner-command enforcement
  2. OpenClaw < 2026.5.6 - Native Command Authorization Bypass via Owner-Command Enforcement

AI Insight generated on Jun 12, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.

Affected products

1

Patches

1
c97b9f79ec43

test(plugin-sdk): satisfy fetch header lint

https://github.com/OpenClaw/OpenClawPeter SteinbergerMay 6, 2026Fixed in 2026.5.6via release-tag
commit
1 file changed · +1 −1
  • src/plugin-sdk/fetch-auth.test.ts+1 −1 modified
    @@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ describe("fetchWithBearerAuthScopeFallback", () => {
       enumerable: false,
     });
     const fetchFn = vi.fn(async (_url: string, init?: RequestInit) => {
-      new Headers(init?.headers);
+      expect(() => new Headers(init?.headers)).not.toThrow();
       return fetchFn.mock.calls.length === 1
         ? new Response("unauthorized", { status: 401 })
         : new Response("ok", { status: 200 });

Vulnerability mechanics

Root cause

"Missing policy enforcement in native command handling allows authenticated senders to execute owner-only commands without authorization checks."

Attack vector

An authenticated sender triggers native command handling to bypass the configured owner-command access control policy [patch_id=5752430]. The attacker uses the command-handling pathway to execute privileged commands that are restricted to the owner role, without proper authorization checks being enforced.

What the fix does

The patch changes a test assertion from constructing a `Headers` object unconditionally to wrapping it in an `expect().not.toThrow()` call [patch_id=5752430]. This ensures the test validates that the header construction does not throw, rather than ignoring potential errors. However, the patch addresses only a linting issue in the test file and does not show a fix for the authorization bypass in native command handling.

Preconditions

  • authThe attacker must be an authenticated user of the OpenClaw server
  • configThe server must have owner-only commands configured with an access control policy

Generated on Jun 12, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.

References

2

News mentions

0

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