CVE-2026-53858 OpenClaw < 2026.5.2 - Arbitrary Runtime Dependency Loading via STATE_DIRECTORY Environment Variable

What is CVE-2026-53858?

CVE-2026-53858 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw, published on 16 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

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.

Weakness: CWE-426

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53858?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including openclaw. It affects 1 product.

Products include Openclaw Openclaw.

How do I fix CVE-2026-53858?

Upgrade openclaw to 2026.5.2 or later.

Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.

Is CVE-2026-53858 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53858 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Openclaw Openclaw

• CVE-2026-28363 Security feature bypass in OpenClaw Critical 9.9
• CVE-2026-30741 Code injection in n/a Critical 9.8
• CVE-2026-33579 OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Privilege Escalation via Missing Caller Scope Validation in Device Pair Approval Critical 9.4
• CVE-2026-32922 OpenClaw < 2026.3.11 - Privilege Escalation via Unvalidated Scope in device.token.rotate Critical 9.4
• CVE-2026-32978 OpenClaw < 2026.3.11 - Approval Bypass via Unrecognized Script Runners Critical 9.4

All Openclaw Openclaw vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-wc84-j36w-pw4x, MINI-vw9f-mgj3-mm8h.