Is CVE-2026-53858 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-53858 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-53858?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.1, published 16 June 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

openclaw (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=2026.5.2; Openclaw < 2026.5.2.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53858?

Yes. openclaw (npm): upgrade to 2026.5.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-53858 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-53858?

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-2026-53858: OpenClaw environment variable injection in STATE_DIRECTORY

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53858?

Yes. openclaw (npm): upgrade to 2026.5.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

Q: How is CVE-2026-53858 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

Q: Am I affected by CVE-2026-53858?

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-2026-53858 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.1 · Published 2026-06-16

OpenClaw is a workspace management tool. A vulnerability exists where opening a malicious repository can allow the workspace's configuration files to redirect where the application looks for its internal software components. This could allow an attacker to trick a user into running malicious code, potentially leading to a full system compromise or data theft.

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

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-53858 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-53858 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-53858?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.1, published 16 June 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: openclaw (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=2026.5.2; Openclaw < 2026.5.2.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53858?: Yes. openclaw (npm): upgrade to 2026.5.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-53858 attacked?: It is attacked with local access, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-53858?: 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 2026.5.2 or later
```
npm install openclaw@2026.5.2
```

Technical details

A CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) vulnerability exists in OpenClaw where the `STATE_DIRECTORY` environment variable can be set via a workspace `.env` file. Because this variable is processed before runtime dependency root resolution, an attacker can provide a malicious repository that, when opened by a user, forces the application to load bundled runtime dependencies from an attacker-controlled local path. This requires user interaction (opening a malicious workspace) and can result in local privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution within the context of the operator. The issue is fixed in version 2026.5.2.

Affected products

OpenClaw openclaw < 2026.5.2

Identifiers

CVE-2026-53858
GHSA-wc84-j36w-pw4x

Timeline

2026-05-28: disclosed
2026-06-18: advisory: GitHub Advisory published

References

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