OpenClaw: Trusted-proxy Control UI WebSocket accepted client-declared scopes before pairing

Exploitation

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

CVSS

8.8 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2026-53821: 0.29% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 21.49 (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 In trusted-proxy Control UI mode, OpenClaw accepted a WebSocket client's declared operator scopes before those scopes were bound to a server-approved pairing or trusted-proxy authorization baseline. This issue affects trusted-proxy Control UI deployments. It does not apply to shared-secret Control UI sessions, which are treated as trusted operator sessions by design. Affected configurations This affects deployments using gateway.auth.mode: "trusted-proxy" for Control UI access where a restricted trusted-proxy user could open a Control UI WebSocket and present a fresh, unpaired device identity with elevated requested scopes. Impact An unpaired or restricted trusted-proxy Control UI client could obtain cached operator.admin authority on its live WebSocket connection. That authority could then be used for admin-gated Gateway RPCs until the connection was closed or revalidated. Patched Versions The first stable patched version is 2026.5.18. Mitigations Upgrade to…

Published by the source

2 Jul 2026, 16:43 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Jul 2026, 08:27 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:56 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-53821

Advisory: OpenClaw: Trusted-proxy Control UI WebSocket accepted client-declared scopes before pairing
IDs: CVE-2026-53821, GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-53821 (revision 2, 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 8.8)
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-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr (OSV record GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.5.18 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-qjpc-qf9m-xwmr lists affected ranges: npm openclaw >=0 <2026.5.18)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.