AI Development3 min read

OpenClaw Security Hardening: Complete Guide 2026

OpenClaw's full system access creates significant attack surface. Complete security hardening guide with prompt injection defense and containerization.

Digital Applied Team

February 9, 2026

3 min read

341

ClawHavoc Skills

47%

Snyk Audit Issues

<5%

Docker Overhead

30 days

Key Rotation

Key Takeaways

Run OpenClaw in Docker containers: Container isolation is the single most impactful security improvement. It limits blast radius if a malicious skill executes code.

Never expose the gateway to the internet: OpenClaw's gateway should be bound to localhost only. External access must go through an authenticated reverse proxy with TLS.

Audit every ClawHub skill before installation: After ClawHavoc, review skill source code, check author reputation, and verify VirusTotal scan results before installing any skill.

Rotate credentials on a schedule: AI model API keys, email credentials, and messaging tokens should rotate monthly. Use a secret manager, never environment files.

An AI agent with full system access is a powerful tool — and a significant security liability. OpenClaw can read your email, execute shell commands, browse the web, and manage files. That power makes security hardening not optional, but essential.

The ClawHavoc incident exposed 341 malicious skills on ClawHub, and the Snyk security audit found that 47% of ClawHub skills had at least one security concern. This guide provides actionable steps to harden your OpenClaw deployment against real-world threats.

Critical: If you are running OpenClaw with default settings, your system is exposed. Complete this hardening guide before processing any sensitive data.

OpenClaw Threat Landscape

Understanding the threats helps prioritize which hardening steps matter most:

Malicious Skills

Critical

ClawHub skills with hidden functionality — data exfiltration, credential harvesting, or ransomware deployment. The primary attack vector.

Credential Exposure

High

API keys in environment files, hardcoded passwords, or credentials leaked through AI model context windows (7.1% of skills).

Network Exposure

High

Gateway exposed to the internet without authentication, allowing unauthorized command execution via the Control UI.

Prompt Injection

Medium

Malicious content in emails, web pages, or messages that trick the AI into executing unintended commands.

Docker Isolation

Running OpenClaw in a Docker container is the single most impactful security improvement you can make. Container isolation limits the blast radius of any compromise:

# Dockerfile for hardened OpenClaw deployment
FROM node:20-slim

# Create non-root user
RUN groupadd -r openclaw && useradd -r -g openclaw openclaw

# Install OpenClaw
RUN npm install -g openclaw@latest

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /home/openclaw

# Copy configuration
COPY config.yaml .

# Drop privileges
USER openclaw

# Expose gateway on internal port only
EXPOSE 3000

CMD ["openclaw", "start", "--config", "config.yaml"]

# docker-compose.yml — production hardened
version: "3.8"
services:
  openclaw:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:3000:3000"  # Bind to localhost ONLY
    volumes:
      - ./data:/home/openclaw/data
    environment:
      - OPENCLAW_MODEL_PROVIDER=anthropic
      - OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL=info
    env_file:
      - .env.secrets  # API keys in separate file
    restart: unless-stopped
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    read_only: true
    tmpfs:
      - /tmp

Credential Management

The Snyk audit found 7.1% of ClawHub skills exposed credentials through context windows. Proper credential management prevents both accidental exposure and deliberate harvesting:

Use a secret manager: HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or 1Password CLI — not .env files
Rotate monthly: AI model API keys, email passwords, and messaging tokens should rotate every 30 days
Scope permissions: Use API keys with the minimum necessary permissions and rate limits
Separate credentials: Different keys for different services — never reuse API keys across providers
Monitor usage: Set up billing alerts and usage dashboards to detect unauthorized use

Need help securing your OpenClaw deployment? Our AI Security Services include security audits, Docker hardening, and ongoing monitoring.

Network Security

Never expose the OpenClaw gateway directly to the internet. Use a reverse proxy with TLS and authentication:

# nginx reverse proxy configuration
server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name openclaw.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/openclaw.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/openclaw.key;

    # Basic auth or SSO integration
    auth_basic "OpenClaw Access";
    auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

Skill Auditing

After ClawHavoc, every ClawHub skill should be audited before installation. Follow this review checklist:

Green Flags

Verified publisher badge
Open source code on GitHub
Clean VirusTotal scan
High install count with positive reviews
Minimal permission requests
No obfuscated code

Red Flags

New publisher with no history
Requests excessive permissions
Contains base64-encoded strings
Makes unexplained network requests
Minified or obfuscated source code
Name typosquats popular skills

Permissions Configuration

Apply the principle of least privilege. Only enable the permissions your workflow actually requires:

# config.yaml — restrictive permissions
permissions:
  filesystem:
    enabled: true
    paths:
      - /home/openclaw/data  # Only allow access to data directory
      - /tmp                 # Temporary files
    readonly_paths:
      - /home/openclaw/config  # Config is read-only
  network:
    enabled: true
    allowed_domains:
      - api.anthropic.com
      - api.openai.com
      - newsapi.org
    blocked_ports:
      - 22   # SSH
      - 3306 # MySQL
      - 5432 # PostgreSQL
  shell:
    enabled: false  # Disable unless explicitly needed
  browser:
    enabled: true
    headless: true  # No GUI, headless only

Monitoring and Logging

Comprehensive logging is your first line of defense for detecting and investigating security incidents:

Gateway access logs: Every API request to the Control UI
Skill execution logs: Which skills ran, with what parameters, and what they accessed
Network traffic logs: All outbound connections made by OpenClaw
Model API usage: Track token consumption and cost per workflow
Error and exception logs: Unusual errors may indicate attempted exploitation

Complete Hardening Checklist

Run OpenClaw in Docker with non-root user
Bind gateway to localhost (127.0.0.1) only
Deploy reverse proxy with TLS and authentication
Move all credentials to a secret manager
Set up monthly credential rotation
Audit and review all installed ClawHub skills
Configure filesystem path restrictions
Set network domain allowlists
Disable unnecessary permissions (shell, browser)
Enable comprehensive logging
Set up billing and usage alerts for AI APIs
Configure system backup for OpenClaw data directory
Document incident response procedures
Schedule quarterly security reviews

Conclusion

OpenClaw's power comes from its unrestricted system access — the same characteristic that makes security critical. The hardening steps in this guide address the real threats validated by ClawHavoc and the Snyk audit. Implement them before deploying OpenClaw for any production workload.