---
id: CVE-2026-53816
title: >-
  OpenClaw: Paired nodes could forge exec lifecycle events without system.run
  provenance
summary: >-
  OpenClaw: Paired nodes could forge exec lifecycle events without system.run
  provenance
severity: high
cvss: 7.2
cwe:
  - CWE-284
  - CWE-862
  - CWE-863
vendor: openclaw
product: openclaw
ecosystem: npm
affected:
  - openclaw < 2026.5.18
patched:
  - openclaw 2026.5.18
published: '2026-07-02'
updated: '2026-07-02'
source: GHSA
sourceUrl: 'https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53816'
  - url: >-
      https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-exec-lifecycle-event-forgery-via-paired-node
  - url: 'https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3c6j-hq33-3jv4'
tags:
  - ghsa
  - npm
epss: 0.00495
epssPercentile: 0.39836
ingestedAt: '2026-07-02T17:40:39.312Z'
---

## Overview

### 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 stable patched version is `2026.5.18`.

### Mitigations

Upgrade to `openclaw@2026.5.18` or later. Pair nodes only from trusted environments, and remove/re-pair nodes that may have been compromised.

## Affected packages

- `openclaw < 2026.5.18`

## Remediation

Upgrade to a patched release:

- `openclaw 2026.5.18`