Is CVE-2026-53821 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-53821 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-53821?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 12 June 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

openclaw (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=2026.5.18; Openclaw < 2026.5.18.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53821?

Yes. openclaw (npm): upgrade to 2026.5.18 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-53821 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-53821?

Check whether you run openclaw (npm) or Openclaw at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-53821: OpenClaw privilege escalation in trusted-proxy Control UI WebSocket

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53821?

Yes. openclaw (npm): upgrade to 2026.5.18 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

Q: How is CVE-2026-53821 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

Q: Am I affected by CVE-2026-53821?

Check whether you run openclaw (npm) or Openclaw at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-53821 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.8 · Published 2026-06-12

OpenClaw, a gateway management platform, contains a flaw in how it handles WebSocket connections when configured with 'trusted-proxy' authentication. An attacker with low-level access can bypass security checks to gain administrative privileges. This allows them to execute restricted commands, potentially leading to full control over the gateway and its operations.

Technologies: openclaw (npm), Openclaw. Vendors: npm, Openclaw.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-53821 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-53821 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-53821?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 12 June 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: openclaw (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=2026.5.18; Openclaw < 2026.5.18.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53821?: Yes. openclaw (npm): upgrade to 2026.5.18 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-53821 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-53821?: Check whether you run openclaw (npm) or Openclaw at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

openclaw (npm): upgrade to 2026.5.18 or later
```
npm install openclaw@2026.5.18
```

Technical details

A missing authorization check (CWE-862) exists in OpenClaw's WebSocket implementation when 'gateway.auth.mode' is set to 'trusted-proxy'. The application incorrectly accepts client-declared operator scopes before they are bound to a server-approved pairing or trusted-proxy authorization baseline. A remote attacker with low privileges can present a fresh, unpaired device identity with elevated requested scopes to obtain 'operator.admin' authority. This authority can be used to execute admin-gated Gateway RPCs on the live WebSocket connection. The vulnerability is patched in version 2026.5.18.

Affected products

OpenClaw OpenClaw < 2026.5.18

Identifiers

CVE-2026-53821
GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr

Timeline

2026-05-28: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
2026-05-28: patched: Version 2026.5.18 released
2026-06-12: disclosed: CVE-2026-53821 published to NVD

References

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