OpenClaw: Paired nodes could forge exec lifecycle events without system.run provenance

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS 4.0

8.6 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N · score source

EPSS

• CVE-2026-53816: 0.34% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 27.84 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

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…

Published by the source

2 Jul 2026, 17:12 UTC

Last modified by the source

2 Jul 2026, 17:26 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:56 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4

2. Revision 2 · amended · 24 Oct 2026

   Reviewed OSV alias/range/CVSS4 correction; package source scopes and original publication preserved. No customer finding resolved.

3. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-53816

Advisory: OpenClaw: Paired nodes could forge exec lifecycle events without system.run provenance
IDs: CVE-2026-53816, GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-53816 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:56 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.6)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: openclaw 2026.5.18. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm openclaw: affected < 2026.5.18; fixed in 2026.5.18

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls openclaw --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on openclaw.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4 (OSV record GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4 lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.5.18 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4 lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.5.18)

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