OpenClaw Security Hardening: 7 Steps to Lock Down Your Agent (2026)

OpenClaw's default configuration is wide open. In early 2026, security researchers found over 30,000 exposed instances and a critical one-click RCE vulnerability. The project has patched the worst issues, but your installation still needs manual hardening.

These 7 steps take about 10 minutes and won't break your workflow.

Step 1: Run the Security Audit

openclaw security audit --deep

This scans your configuration and flags everything that's exposed. Focus on CRITICAL items first, then WARN items.

Step 2: Lock Down Telegram Group Policy

If your groupPolicy is set to "open", anyone in a Telegram group with your bot can send it commands — including shell execution. Lock it to allowlist:

openclaw config set channels.telegram.groupPolicy "allowlist"
openclaw config set channels.telegram.groupAllowFrom '["YOUR_TELEGRAM_USER_ID"]'

Step 3: Sandbox Filesystem Access

By default, OpenClaw can read and write anywhere on your filesystem — including SSH keys, password vaults, and sensitive configs. Restrict it:

openclaw config set tools.fs.workspaceOnly true

This limits file operations to the OpenClaw workspace directory only.

Step 4: Fix Credential Permissions

# macOS / Linux / WSL2:
chmod 700 ~/.openclaw/credentials

Step 5: Keep the Gateway on Localhost

Never expose the gateway port to the internet. The default binding to 127.0.0.1 is correct — don't change it. For remote access, use Tailscale, SSH tunneling, or a VPN.

Step 6: Vet ClawHub Skills Before Installing

In January 2026, the "ClawHavoc" campaign found hundreds of malicious skills in the ClawHub registry — keyloggers, credential harvesters, and persistent backdoors injected through MEMORY.md files. Never install a skill without reading its source first.

Step 7: Keep OpenClaw Updated

openclaw update

Critical security patches are released frequently. The CVE-2026-25253 fix landed in version 2026.1.29. If you're running anything older, update immediately.

Apply Changes

openclaw gateway restart

Re-run the security audit after applying changes to confirm the CRITICAL items are resolved.