Executive brief
OpenClaw, a workspace management tool, contains a security flaw in how it handles maintenance tasks. An attacker with local access can manipulate environment paths to trick the system into running malicious software instead of the intended cleanup commands. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or full control over the local environment where the software is running.
Technical details
OpenClaw before version 2026.5.2 is vulnerable to an untrusted search path (CWE-426) and path traversal issue within its maintenance task execution component. The root cause is the reliance on workspace-derived environment paths to locate the 'trash' command or other maintenance executables. A local attacker with low privileges can manipulate these environment paths to point to a malicious executable in an unintended directory. When a maintenance operation is triggered, the system executes the attacker's binary instead of the legitimate utility. This vulnerability allows for local privilege escalation or arbitrary command execution in the context of the OpenClaw service. A fix is available in version 2026.5.2.
Affected products
- OpenClaw openclaw < 2026.5.2
Timeline
- 2026-05-28: advisory: Original advisory GHSA-rx78-29qr-5hq8 published
- 2026-06-16: disclosed: CVE-2026-53865 published to NVD
- 2026-06-18: patched: Duplicate advisory GHSA-2w22-3f6x-3hf4 withdrawn in favor of original report