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CVE-2026-53858· NVD / CVE Program· CNA VulnCheck

OpenClaw < 2026.5.2 - Arbitrary Runtime Dependency Loading via STATE_DIRECTORY Environment Variable

OpenClaw before 2026.5.2 contains an environment variable injection vulnerability where workspace .env STATE_DIRECTORY could influence bundled runtime dependency roots. Attackers can manipulate the STATE_DIRECTORY variable to load runtime dependencies from unintended local paths, potentially executing malicious code during dependency resolution.

HighCVSS 7.0 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Jun 16, 2026
Updated
Jun 18, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 7th percentile
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Action score

28

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
28 / 40 · 7.0 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · VulnCheck
7.0
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.

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Affected systems

VendorProduct
openclawopenclaw

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • openclaw openclawbefore 2026.5.2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (VulnCheck). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • OpenClaw OpenClaw

    • 2026.5.2not affected
    • before 2026.5.2affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
npmopenclawbefore 2026.5.22026.5.2

Same product

openclaw: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-25253OpenClaw (aka clawdbot or Moltbot) before 2026.1.29 obtains a gatewayUrl value from a query string and automatically makes a WebSocket conne
    42Plan
  • CVE-2026-30741A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in OpenClaw Agent Platform v2026.2.6 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a Request-Si
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2026-43534OpenClaw < 2026.4.10 - Unsanitized External Input in Agent Hook Events
    37Monitor
  • CVE-2026-33579OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via Missing Caller Scope Validation in Device Pair Approval
    37Monitor
  • CVE-2026-32917OpenClaw < 2026.3.13 - Remote Command Injection via Unsanitized iMessage Attachment Paths in SCP
    37Monitor
  • CVE-2026-32987OpenClaw < 2026.3.13 - Bootstrap Setup Code Replay via Device Pairing
    37Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
OpenClaw OpenClaw2026.5.2Vendor (CNA)
npm:openclaw2026.5.2Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-538195 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.5.27 - Arbitrary Homebrew Executable Execution via Workspace .env Override
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2026-3201589 days apartOpenClaw 2026.1.21 < 2026.2.19 - PATH Hijacking Bypass in tools.exec.safeBins Allowlist Validation
    29Monitor
  • CVE-2026-3201689 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.22 - Path Traversal via Basename-Only Allowlist Matching on macOS
    29Monitor
  • CVE-2026-3203289 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.2.22 - Arbitrary Shell Execution via Unvalidated SHELL Environment Variable
    29Monitor
  • CVE-2026-538460 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.4.29 - Arbitrary Package Manager Execution via Workspace .env npm_execpath
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2026-538650 days apartOpenClaw < 2026.5.2 - Arbitrary Command Execution via Workspace-Derived Service PATH
    28Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
A
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-426 · Untrusted Search Path

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records