CVE-2026-53816 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions < 2026.5.18. It is fixed in 2026.5.18.
Summary OpenClaw nodes send lifecycle events back to the gateway. In affected releases, a paired node could send an exec lifecycle event that was accepted without enough provenance tying it to an authorized system.run request. This issue affects the node event boundary. It does not allow an unauthenticated caller to reach the gateway; the attacker must already control a paired node connection. Affected configurations This affects deployments with a paired node where that node can send crafted node.event messages to the gateway and the target agent/session can process exec lifecycle events. Impact A malicious or compromised paired node could make the gateway treat attacker-supplied event data as an exec lifecycle result. In the vulnerable flow, that could steer the target session into an exec-event path that exposed capabilities the reduced node surface should not have provided. The issue is a missing provenance check for node-originated lifecycle events. Patched Versions The first stable patched version is 2026.5.18. Mitigations Upgrade to [email protected] or later. Pair nodes only from trusted environments, and remove/re-pair nodes that may have been compromised.
The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation. Typical impact: unauthorized access to restricted functionality or data.
CVE-2026-53816 has a CVSS score of 7.2 (High). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment.
A fixed version is available (2026.5.18). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
npm
openclaw (< 2026.5.18)openclaw → 2026.5.18 (npm)Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter instead of chasing every advisory.
Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether CVE-2026-53816 is reachable in your applications. Explore open-source security for your team.
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Already deployed Kodem? See CVE-2026-53816 in your environment →Upgrade openclaw to 2026.5.18 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
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CVE-2026-53816 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in openclaw (npm), affecting versions < 2026.5.18. It is fixed in 2026.5.18. The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation.
CVE-2026-53816 has a CVSS score of 7.2 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
openclaw (npm) versions < 2026.5.18 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2026-53816 is fixed in 2026.5.18. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-53816 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
Upgrade openclaw to 2026.5.18 or later.