Clawdbot Security Audit

Comprehensive security scanner and hardening guide for Clawdbot/Moltbot installations.

Why this matters: 1,673+ Clawdbot gateways were found exposed on Shodan. If you installed Clawdbot on a server or VPS, you might be one of them.

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Quick Start

# Scan for issues
npx clawdbot-security-audit

# Scan and auto-fix
npx clawdbot-security-audit --fix

# Deep scan (includes network check)
npx clawdbot-security-audit --deep --fix

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What Gets Checked

1. Gateway Binding

• Safe:

  bind: "loopback"

  (127.0.0.1)
• DANGER:

  bind: "lan"

  or

  bind: "0.0.0.0"

2. File Permissions

• Config directory: 700 (owner only)
• Config file: 600 (owner read/write only)
• Credentials: 700 (owner only)

3. Authentication

• Token auth or password auth should be enabled
• Without auth, anyone who finds your gateway has full access

4. Node.js Version

• Minimum: 20.x
• Recommended: 22.12.0+
• Older versions have known vulnerabilities

5. mDNS Broadcasting

• Clawdbot uses Bonjour for local discovery
• On servers, this should be disabled

6. External Accessibility (--deep)

• Checks if your gateway port is reachable from the internet
• Uses your public IP to test

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Manual Hardening Steps

Step 1: Bind to Localhost Only

// ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json
{
  "gateway": {
    "bind": "loopback",
    "port": 18789
  }
}

Step 2: Lock File Permissions

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

Step 3: Enable Authentication

{
  "gateway": {
    "auth": {
      "mode": "token"
    }
  }
}

Then set the token:

export CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32)

Step 4: Disable mDNS

export CLAWDBOT_DISABLE_BONJOUR=1

Step 5: Set Up Firewall (UFW)

# Default deny incoming
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing

# Allow SSH (don't lock yourself out!)
sudo ufw allow ssh

# Allow Tailscale if using
sudo ufw allow in on tailscale0

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable

# DO NOT allow port 18789 publicly!

Step 6: Set Up Tailscale (Recommended)

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

# Configure Clawdbot
# Add to clawdbot.json:
{
  "gateway": {
    "bind": "loopback",
    "tailscale": {
      "mode": "serve"
    }
  }
}

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What Gets Exposed When Vulnerable

When a Clawdbot gateway is exposed:

• ❌ Complete conversation histories (Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage)
• ❌ API keys (Claude, OpenAI, etc.)
• ❌ OAuth tokens and bot credentials
• ❌ Full shell access to the host machine
• ❌ All files in the workspace

Prompt injection attacks can extract this data with a single email or message.

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Checklist

• Gateway bound to loopback only
• File permissions locked down (700/600)
• Authentication enabled (token or password)
• Node.js 22.12.0+
• mDNS disabled on servers
• Firewall configured (UFW)
• Tailscale for remote access (not port forwarding)
• SSH key-only auth (no passwords)

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Installation

# npm
npm install -g clawdbot-security-audit

# ClawdHub
clawdhub install lxgicstudios/clawdbot-security

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Built by LXGIC Studios - @lxgicstudios