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# OpenClaw Security Checklist: Hardening Your AI Agent Infrastructure
- URL: https://brianchristner.io/openclaw-security-checklist-hardening-your-ai-agent-infrastructure/
- Published: 2026-02-11T21:36:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-10T08:52:27.000Z
- Description: Secure your OpenClaw AI agent infrastructure with this practical security checklist. Covers gateway hardening, firewall configuration, SSH security, fail2ban setup, and automated monitoring. Includes 7 security sections with actionable commands and a free Security Dashboard skill.
- Author: Brian Christner
- Tags: security, OpenClaw, devops, infrastructure

I became a member of the OpenClaw 🦞 community way back when it started as ClawdBot. Now, 5 name changes later, here we are. One thing that stuck out to me is the constant hum about security and Open Claw on X and other channels.

Many were complaining that OpenClaw had weak security or that attackers had identified 1000s of open servers running OpenClaw. Well, I set out to get to the bottom of all the noise and make sense of it all.

What I found after installing all 5 names of OpenClaw is the community's misunderstanding of the OpenClaw documentation, best practices generally on running a server in the cloud or on-prem, and finally, not checking and maintaining what is actually running.

So I set out on a mission to provide transparency into the security settings of the running Open Claws server. First, I built a [dashboard skill ](https://clawhub.ai/vegasbrianc/security-dashboard?ref=brianchristner.io)that monitors and alerts me to the current security status and to any important aspect that turns Red.

What I found after installing all 5 OpenClaw names is the community's misunderstanding of the OpenClaw documentation, the general best practices for running a server in the cloud or on-prem, and, finally, not checking or maintaining what is actually running.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/50/2950930d-60f2-422c-90aa-232fbd4873b6/content/images/2026/02/OpenClaw-Security_Dashboard.jpg)

Open Claw Security Dashboard

As part of the dashboard's development, I also created a checklist to help you secure your OpenClaw 🦞.

## Why This Matters

Running an AI agent on your infrastructure means:

- **Credentials at risk:** Your agent has access to APIs, databases, and servers, and may also have access to personal information (email, bank information, credit card numbers).
- **Attack surface:** Public IPs, open ports, and exposed services are targets
- **Automation risk:** Misconfigurations can propagate quickly across systems

**This checklist aligns with the Security Dashboard** to catch issues before they become incidents.

---

## 🦞 OpenClaw Security

**What:** Core OpenClaw gateway and authentication  
**Why:** Your gateway is the entry point - weak auth = full system compromise

### Checklist

- \[ \] OpenClaw runs as a non-root user (not root or sudo)
- \[ \] Gateway token is 32+ characters (weak tokens can be brute-forced)
- \[ \] Gateway binds to `loopback` or behind firewall (no public exposure)
- \[ \] Authentication mode is `token` (not password-based)
- \[ \] Config file permissions are `600` (owner-only read/write)
- \[ \] Sessions directory is not world-readable
- \[ \] No API keys stored in plaintext config (use environment variables or 1Password)

**Why not root?**  
If OpenClaw is compromised (via a malicious skill, prompt injection, or RCE), the attacker inherits the user's permissions. Running as root = full system access.

**Fix it:**

```bash
# Create dedicated user
sudo useradd -r -m -s /bin/bash openclaw
sudo usermod -aG docker openclaw  # If OpenClaw needs Docker access

# Move config to new user
sudo cp -r ~/.openclaw /home/openclaw/
sudo chown -R openclaw:openclaw /home/openclaw/.openclaw

# Update systemd service to run as openclaw user
# Edit: /etc/systemd/system/openclaw-gateway.service
# Change: User=openclaw

# Generate strong token
openclaw config.patch --raw '{"gateway":{"auth":{"token":"'$(openssl rand -hex 32)'"}}}'

# Secure permissions
chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

```

---

## 🌐 Network Security

**What:** Firewall, VPN, and network controls  
**Why:** Open ports without protection = bots, scrapers, and attackers

### Checklist

- \[ \] Firewall active (UFW or firewalld running)
- \[ \] Only SSH port (22) exposed publicly preferrably only Allowed to access the IP's you want
- \[ \] Tailscale or WireGuard VPN active for remote access
- \[ \] Internal services (dashboards, APIs) bind to localhost only and are accessed over WireGuard
- \[ \] Public IP not listed on Shodan with unexpected services

**Fix it:**

```bash
# Enable UFW
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw enable

# Install Tailscale (zero-trust VPN)
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up

```

---

## 🌍 Public Exposure

**What:** What's visible to the internet  
**Why:** Every public port is a potential entry point

### Checklist

- \[ \] Dashboard services bind to `127.0.0.1` (localhost only)
- \[ \] OpenClaw gateway not accessible without VPN
- \[ \] No database ports (3306, 5432, 27017) exposed
- \[ \] No internal tools (phpMyAdmin, adminer) on public URLs
- \[ \] Cloudflare bot protection enabled (if using Cloudflare)

**Check it:**

```bash
# See what's publicly bound
ss -tlnp | grep -E '0\.0\.0\.0|:::'

# Should only show SSH

```

**Fix it:**

```bash
# Bind services to localhost
# Edit server config: listen 127.0.0.1:PORT instead of 0.0.0.0:PORT

```

---

## 🖥️ System Security

**What:** OS-level hardening  
**Why:** Outdated software = known exploits

### Checklist

- \[ \] System updates installed (fewer than 20 pending)
- \[ \] Automatic security updates enabled
- \[ \] No unnecessary services running (`systemctl list-units --type=service`)
- \[ \] Disk usage below 80% (prevents DoS via disk fill)
- \[ \] Load average is healthy (< number of CPU cores)

**Fix it:**

```bash
# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Enable automatic security updates
sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

```

---

## 🔑 SSH & Access Control

**What:** Remote access security  
**Why:** SSH is the #1 target for brute-force attacks

### Checklist

- \[ \] SSH password authentication disabled (key-only)
- \[ \] fail2ban active (blocks brute-force attempts)
- \[ \] Root login disabled (`PermitRootLogin no`)
- \[ \] SSH keys are 4096-bit RSA or Ed25519
- \[ \] No banned IPs from legitimate sources (check fail2ban status)
- \[ \] Fewer than 10 failed login attempts in 24 hours

**Fix it:**

```bash
# Disable password auth (in /etc/ssh/sshd_config)
PasswordAuthentication no
PubkeyAuthentication yes
PermitRootLogin no

# Restart SSH
sudo systemctl restart sshd

# Install and enable fail2ban
sudo apt install fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
sudo systemctl start fail2ban

```

---

## 📜 Certificates & TLS

**What:** Encryption for web services  
**Why:** Unencrypted = credentials sent in plaintext

### Checklist

- \[ \] No Caddy or nginx exposed publicly (unless intentional)
- \[ \] Tailscale provides WireGuard encryption (no TLS needed for internal tools)
- \[ \] If using public HTTPS, certificates are valid and auto-renewing
- \[ \] No self-signed certificates for production services

**Why localhost-only is secure:**

- Tailscale uses WireGuard (industry-standard encryption) to allow access to OpenClaw securely over the WireGuard VPN
- No certificate management hassles
- Zero-trust model: only your devices can access

---

## 📊 Resource Security

**What:** Performance and capacity monitoring  
**Why:** Resource exhaustion = downtime or security bypass

### Checklist

- \[ \] CPU usage typically below 80%
- \[ \] Memory usage below 80%
- \[ \] Disk usage below 80%
- \[ \] Config file permissions are `600` (not `644` or `777`)
- \[ \] Log rotation enabled (prevents disk fill)

**Fix it:**

```bash
# Check permissions
stat -c "%a" ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json  # Should be 600

# Fix if needed
chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

```

---

## Automation: Security Dashboard + Cron

**Your Security Dashboard monitors all of the above in real-time.**

### Automated Checks (4x Daily)

- 06:00 UTC - Morning check
- 12:00 UTC - Midday check
- 18:00 UTC - Evening check
- 00:00 UTC - Midnight check

**Critical alerts trigger immediately for:**

- Firewall inactive
- fail2ban inactive
- Weak gateway token
- SSH password auth enabled
- Insecure file permissions

**Install the dashboard:**

```bash
cd /root/clawd/skills/security-dashboard
./scripts/install.sh

```

**Access it:**

```bash
ssh -L 18791:localhost:18791 root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
# Visit: http://localhost:18791

```

---

## Quick Win Checklist

Start here if you're overwhelmed:

1. ✅ Enable firewall: `sudo ufw enable`
2. ✅ Enable fail2ban: `sudo apt install fail2ban && sudo systemctl enable fail2ban`
3. ✅ Disable SSH password auth (edit `/etc/ssh/sshd_config`)
4. ✅ Update system: `sudo apt update && apt upgrade -y`
5. ✅ Fix config permissions: `chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`
6. ✅ Install Tailscale: `curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh`
7. ✅ Install Security Dashboard: [https://clawhub.ai/vegasbrianc/security-dashboard](https://clawhub.ai/vegasbrianc/security-dashboard?ref=brianchristner.io)

**Time investment:** \~20 minutes  
**Protection level:** Blocks 95% of automated attacks

---

## Going Further

**Paid Checklist** ($49, coming soon):

- Intrusion detection with Wazuh
- Log aggregation and alerting
- Rate limiting for APIs
- Backup automation and disaster recovery
- Compliance checklists (SOC 2, GDPR)
- Custom firewall rules for your stack

**Security Audit** ($1,500):

- Full infrastructure review
- Penetration testing
- Custom security policies
- Implementation assistance
- 30-day follow-up

---

## Resources

- [OpenClaw Security Dashboard Skill](https://clawhub.ai/vegasbrianc/security-dashboard?ref=brianchristner.io)
- [fail2ban Documentation](https://www.fail2ban.org/?ref=brianchristner.io)
- [Tailscale Setup Guide](https://tailscale.com/kb/?ref=brianchristner.io)
- [SSH Hardening Guide](https://www.ssh.com/academy/ssh/hardening?ref=brianchristner.io)

---

## Get Started

**Try the Security Dashboard skill:**  
\- Install: [ClawdHub - Security Dashboard](https://clawhub.ai/vegasbrianc/security-dashboard?ref=brianchristner.io)

### Questions? Find me on [X @idomyowntricks](https://twitter.com/idomyowntricks?ref=brianchristner.io) to stay updated!