CVE-2026-53836
HIGH 8.7OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 contains an allowlist bypass vulnerability in PowerShell encoded-command handling that allows attackers to execute encoded commands using abbreviated flag aliases not recognized by the allowlist parser. Remote authenticated operators can bypass execution allowlist checks by using unrecognized encoded-command alias forms to execute arbitrary PowerShell content.
Severe if exploited (CVSS 8.7), but no known exploitation and low modeled probability. Patch on a normal cadence.
Exploitation likelihood
0.5%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 37th percentile
Impact if exploited
8.7CVSS 4.0 · HIGH
- ConfidentialityHigh
- IntegrityHigh
- AvailabilityHigh
What an attacker needs
- ✓Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
- ⚠Privileges: Requires a low-privilege account
- ✓User interaction: No user interaction needed
- ✓Complexity: No special conditions — reliably repeatable
- ✓Requirements: No special attack requirements
✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it
Proof of concept & exploit code
- github-search Search GitHub for public PoC repos
Test against your own equipment
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-53836/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).Listed for defensive triage, patch verification, and authorized testing on systems you own. Machine-readable: /cve/CVE-2026-53836/poc.json
Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-184: Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs
CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Known Affected Software Configurations
| Vendor | Product | Version range |
|---|---|---|
| Openclaw | Openclaw | < 2026.5.12 |
All CVSS metrics
- HIGH 8.7 v4.0 · CNA Primary
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - HIGH 8.8 v3.1 · CNA Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - HIGH 8.7 v4.0 · NVD Secondary
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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 - HIGH 8.8 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H