Moltbot Security Guide

Your Moltbot gateway was designed for local use. When exposed to the internet without proper security, attackers can access your API keys, private messages, and full system access.

Based on: Real vulnerability research that found 1,673+ exposed OpenClaw/Moltbot gateways on Shodan.

TL;DR - The 5 Essentials

• Bind to loopback — Never expose gateway to public internet
• Set auth token — Require authentication for all requests
• Fix file permissions — Only you should read config files
• Update Node.js — Use v22.12.0+ to avoid known vulnerabilities
• Use Tailscale — Secure remote access without public exposure

What Gets Exposed (The Real Risk)

When your gateway is publicly accessible:

• Complete conversation histories (Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage)
• API keys for Claude, OpenAI, and other providers
• OAuth tokens and bot credentials
• Full shell access to host machine

Quick Security Audit

Run this to check your current security posture:

openclaw security audit --deep

Auto-fix issues:

openclaw security audit --deep --fix

Step 1: Bind Gateway to Loopback Only

What this does: Prevents the gateway from accepting connections from other machines.

Check your ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "gateway": {
    "bind": "loopback"
  }
}

Options:

• loopback — Only accessible from localhost (most secure)
• lan — Accessible from local network only
• auto — Binds to all interfaces (dangerous if exposed)

Step 2: Set Up Authentication

Option A: Token Authentication (Recommended)

Generate a secure token:

openssl rand -hex 32

Add to your config:

{
  "gateway": {
    "auth": {
      "mode": "token",
      "token": "your-64-char-hex-token-here"
    }
  }
}

Or set via environment:

export CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN="your-secure-random-token-here"

Option B: Password Authentication

{
  "gateway": {
    "auth": {
      "mode": "password"
    }
  }
}

Then:

export CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_PASSWORD="your-secure-password-here"

Step 3: Lock Down File Permissions

What this does: Ensures only you can read sensitive config files.

chmod 700 ~/.openclaw
chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
chmod 700 ~/.openclaw/credentials

Permission meanings:

• 700 = Only owner can access folder
• 600 = Only owner can read/write file

openclaw security audit --fix

Step 4: Disable Network Broadcasting

What this does: Stops OpenClaw from announcing itself via mDNS/Bonjour.

Add to your shell config (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

export CLAWDBOT_DISABLE_BONJOUR=1

Reload:

source ~/.zshrc

Step 5: Update Node.js

Older Node.js versions have security vulnerabilities. You need v22.12.0+.

Check version:

node --version

Mac (Homebrew):

brew update && brew upgrade node

Ubuntu/Debian:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Windows: Download from nodejs.org

Step 6: Set Up Tailscale (Remote Access)

What this does: Creates encrypted tunnel between your devices. Access OpenClaw from anywhere without public exposure.

Install Tailscale:

# Linux
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up

# Mac
brew install tailscale

Configure OpenClaw for Tailscale:

{
  "gateway": {
    "bind": "loopback",
    "tailscale": {
      "mode": "serve"
    }
  }
}

Now access via your Tailscale network only.

Step 7: Firewall Setup (UFW)

For cloud servers (AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, etc.)

Install UFW:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install ufw -y

Set defaults:

sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing

Allow SSH (don't skip!):

sudo ufw allow ssh

Allow Tailscale (if using):

sudo ufw allow in on tailscale0

Enable:

sudo ufw enable

Verify:

sudo ufw status verbose

⚠️ Never do this:

# DON'T - exposes your gateway publicly
sudo ufw allow 18789

Step 8: SSH Hardening

Disable password auth (use SSH keys):

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Change:

PasswordAuthentication no
PermitRootLogin no

Restart:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Security Checklist

Before deploying:

• [ ] Gateway bound to loopback or lan
• [ ] Auth token or password set
• [ ] File permissions locked (600/700)
• [ ] mDNS/Bonjour disabled
• [ ] Node.js v22.12.0+
• [ ] Tailscale configured (if remote)
• [ ] Firewall blocking port 18789
• [ ] SSH password auth disabled

Config Template (Secure Defaults)

{
  "gateway": {
    "port": 18789,
    "bind": "loopback",
    "auth": {
      "mode": "token",
      "token": "YOUR_64_CHAR_HEX_TOKEN"
    },
    "tailscale": {
      "mode": "serve"
    }
  }
}

Credits

Based on security research by @NickSpisak_ who found 1,673+ exposed gateways on Shodan.

Original article: https://x.com/nickspisak_/status/2016195582180700592

Installation

clawdhub install NextFrontierBuilds/moltbot, openclaw-security

Built by @NextXFrontier