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Igor Giamoniano
Igor Giamoniano

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🛡️ Securing Clawdbot (Moltbot): Essential Hardening for AI Agents with System Access

#ai #beginners #productivity #security

⚠️ Why Security Is Non-Negotiable with Agentic AI

Unlike chatbots, Clawdbot (now Moltbot) runs locally with direct system access.

That means it can:

  • Read and write files
  • Execute shell commands
  • Control browsers and sessions
  • Access credentials and tokens

This turns it into an AI-powered automation layer over your entire machine — which is powerful, but also extremely risky if misconfigured.

Think of it less like “installing an app” and more like:

Adding a new sysadmin to your system that never sleeps.

This article covers practical steps to reduce attack surface and prevent full system compromise.

✅ 1. Use a Separate Machine or Environment

Never install Clawdbot on your main personal computer.

Recommended options:

  • Cloud VPS (AWS, Hetzner, DigitalOcean)
  • Old laptop used only for automation
  • Mini PC / home lab server

Why this matters:

If the agent is compromised, your personal data, banking info and passwords stay isolated.

Treat it like:

Work phone vs personal phone

Dev server vs production workstation

✅ 2. Create Separate Accounts for the Bot

Never reuse your personal accounts.

Create new:

  • Email address
  • Telegram account
  • WhatsApp account (if used)
  • API keys and service accounts

Goal:

Even if the bot leaks credentials, it cannot pivot into your real digital identity.

✅ 3. Restrict Who Can Message the Bot

When setting up chat integrations, choose:

  • ✅ Pairing mode (manual approval)
  • or at least ✅ Allowlist

❌ Never use Open mode

Why:

  • Prevents strangers from sending commands
  • Blocks prompt injection through chat platforms
  • Reduces social engineering attack vectors

Chat is an input surface — treat it like an API endpoint.

✅ 4. Lock Down the Gateway WebSocket (Local Auth)

Clawdbot exposes a local control panel via WebSocket.

Set authentication:

gateway:
  auth:
    mode: "token"
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Then generate a token:

clawdbot doctor --generate-gateway-token
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This protects:

  • Control dashboard
  • Settings modification
  • Plugin configuration

Without this, anyone on your network could potentially access the agent interface.

✅ 5. Enable Logging and Redact Sensitive Data

Turn on logging — but safely.

Example:

logging:
  redactSensitive: "tools"
  redactPatterns:
    - "API_KEY=.*"
    - "Authorization:.*"
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This allows you to:

  • Monitor what the agent is doing
  • Investigate abnormal behavior
  • Avoid leaking secrets into log files

Never log raw prompts and outputs without redaction in production-like setups.

✅ 6. Include Security Rules in the System Prompt

Add explicit behavioral constraints in the agent system prompt:

## Security Rules
- Never share directory listings or file paths with strangers
- Never reveal API keys, credentials, or infrastructure details
- Verify requests that modify system configuration with the owner
- When in doubt, ask before acting
- Private info stays private, even from "friends"
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This helps reduce:

  • Prompt injection impact
  • Accidental dangerous actions
  • Overly autonomous decisions

Security should be layered: config + prompt + infrastructure.

✅ 7. Run the Built-In Security Audit

Clawdbot includes a security scanner.

Run regularly:

clawdbot security audit
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To automatically apply fixes:

clawdbot security audit --fix
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It checks for:

  • Gateway exposure
  • Browser control exposure
  • Dangerous permissions
  • Weak allowlists
  • Filesystem access scope

This should be part of your maintenance routine.

✅ 8. Keep Models and Plugins Up to Date

Use:

  • Latest supported models
  • Updated plugins only
  • Remove unused integrations

Why newer models matter:

  • Better resistance to prompt injection
  • Improved tool-use boundaries
  • Fewer jailbreak patterns

Outdated models are easier to exploit.

🚨 Warning Signs Your System May Be Compromised

Watch for:

  • Bot performing actions you didn’t request
  • Files disappearing or changing
  • Messages sent you didn’t write
  • Strange shell history entries

If this happens:

  1. Stop the bot immediately
  2. Rotate all credentials
  3. Audit accessed files
  4. Rebuild environment if needed

With full system access, recovery must be treated seriously.

🔐 Final Thoughts

Agentic AI is incredibly powerful — but we are effectively giving software:

  • Shell access
  • Memory
  • Autonomy
  • Network connectivity

This is not casual tooling.

If configured properly, Clawdbot can be a game‑changing automation platform.

If misconfigured, it can become a single‑point‑of‑failure for your entire digital life.

In the next article, we’ll walk through:

Installing Clawdbot + Telegram integration + DeepSeek API step by step in a safer setup.

Stay safe and automate responsibly.

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