Vulnerability · Published Jun 12, 2026 · Assigned by VulnCheck

CVE-2026-53821OpenClaw < 2026.5.18 - Scope Elevation in trusted-proxy Control UI WebSocket

High 8.8

In plain English

A high-severity missing authorization in OpenClaw from OpenClaw. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.3% (higher than 22% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.

Severity (CVSS 3.1)8.8High

Exploit odds (30 days)0.3%top 78.5% of all CVEs

Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: none

Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known

Official description

OpenClaw before 2026.5.18 accepts WebSocket client-declared operator scopes before binding to server-approved pairing or trusted-proxy authorization baseline. Unpaired or restricted trusted-proxy Control UI clients can obtain cached operator.admin authority on live WebSocket connections to execute admin-gated Gateway RPCs.

Affected packages & fixed versions

Ecosystem	Package	Fixed in	Advisory
npm	openclaw	2026.5.18	GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr

Affected products (as reported)

Vendor	Product	Versions
OpenClaw	OpenClaw	0 – before 2026.5.18

Weakness: CWE-862 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References

GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr) vendor-advisory
VulnCheck Advisory: OpenClaw < 2026.5.18 - Scope Elevation in trusted-proxy Control UI WebSocket third-party-advisory