openclaw/SECURITY_ASSESSMENT_LOCAL.md

Moltbot Security Assessment: "Strictly Local" Usage

This report assesses the security of Moltbot for a "strictly local" deployment using local LLMs (Ollama) and ensuring no sensitive data leaves the machine.

1. Outbound Data Leakage Audit

Update Checks

Moltbot checks for updates on startup by querying the npm registry (registry.npmjs.org). This leaks the fact that Moltbot is being run and the version being used.

• Risk: Low (Metadata leak).
• Mitigation: Set update.checkOnStart: false in moltbot.json.

Telemetry & Diagnostics

Moltbot includes an OpenTelemetry (OTEL) schema, but no active telemetry is enabled by default to send data to a remote central server.

• Status: Safe by default.
• Caution: Avoid enabling diagnostics.otel.enabled in production if strict local privacy is required.

External Tools

The following tools are designed for outbound access and will leak data if used:

• web_fetch: Fetches content from URLs.
• web_search: Performs web searches via Brave/Perplexity.
• browser: Controls a local/remote browser.

• Risk: High (Content exfiltration if the agent is tricked via prompt injection).
• Mitigation: Explicitly deny these tools in tools.deny or disable them in their respective config sections.

2. Model Isolation & Fallback Audit

Provider Fallbacks

Moltbot has a fallback mechanism that can transition from a failed primary model to fallbacks. The default provider is anthropic.

• Risk: Medium. If Ollama is unavailable, the system might attempt to talk to Anthropic if a fallback is implicitly configured or if the user hasn't cleared the fallbacks list.
• Mitigation:
  • Set agents.defaults.model.primary to your Ollama model (e.g., ollama/llama3).
  • Explicitly set agents.defaults.model.fallbacks: [].
  • Ensure no Anthropic/OpenAI API keys or profiles are configured.

Model Discovery

Cloud-based model discovery (e.g., for Venice, Bedrock) only occurs if those providers are active.

• Status: Safe as long as cloud providers are not configured.

3. Gateway & Web Security

Binding

The Moltbot Gateway binds strictly to loopback (127.0.0.1) by default.

• Status: Safe. Access is restricted to the local machine.

Authentication

Authentication is enforced by default. The Gateway will refuse to start if no token or password is configured (unless using Tailscale).

• Status: Safe.

CSRF & CORS

Moltbot does not set CORS headers, effectively blocking cross-origin requests from browsers. Most sensitive actions require a Bearer token or a custom WebSocket handshake, which mitigates CSRF risks from local browsers.

• Risk: Low.
• Recommendation: Ensure a strong gateway.auth.token is used.

4. Sandbox & Tool Security

Untrusted Inputs (WhatsApp/Telegram)

When using external channels, the bot receives untrusted input.

• Risk: High. A malicious message could use prompt injection to trick the bot into running dangerous local commands via the exec tool.
• Mitigation:
  • Enable Docker sandboxing for all non-main sessions: agents.defaults.sandbox.mode: "non-main".
  • Tighten tools.elevated.allowFrom to only include your own user IDs.
  • Set groupPolicy: "allowlist" for all channels to prevent unauthorized users from interacting with the bot in groups.

---

New: "Strictly Local" Startup Option

Moltbot now includes a --local-only flag for the gateway command. This flag automatically applies all the hardening steps described in this report at startup, without requiring you to manually edit your configuration file.

To use it, start the gateway with:

moltbot gateway --local-only

This will:

• Disable update checks on start.
• Disable diagnostics.
• Clear all model fallbacks.
• Deny web tools, browser, and skills-install.
• Enable Docker sandboxing for non-main sessions.

Recommended Configuration for "Strictly Local" Setup

If you prefer to make these settings permanent in your configuration, add/update these keys in your ~/.clawdbot/moltbot.json:

{
  "update": {
    "checkOnStart": false
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "ollama/llama3", // Replace with your Ollama model
        "fallbacks": []
      },
      "sandbox": {
        "mode": "non-main"
      }
    }
  },
  "tools": {
    "deny": ["group:web", "browser", "skills-install"],
    "elevated": {
      "enabled": true,
      "allowFrom": {
        "whatsapp": ["your-phone-number"],
        "telegram": ["your-username"]
      }
    }
  },
  "diagnostics": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}

Summary Verdict

Moltbot is well-suited for local-only usage, provided the configuration is hardened as described above. The core architecture is local-first, and there are no mandatory "phone home" features that cannot be disabled.