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Threat model (MITRE ATLAS)

OpenClaw Threat Model v1.0

MITRE ATLAS Framework

Version: 1.0-draft Last Updated: 2026-02-04 Methodology: MITRE ATLAS + Data Flow Diagrams Framework: MITRE ATLAS (Adversarial Threat Landscape for AI Systems)

Framework attribution

This threat model is built on MITRE ATLAS, the industry-standard framework for documenting adversarial threats to AI/ML systems. ATLAS is maintained by MITRE in collaboration with the AI security community.

Key ATLAS Resources:

Contributing to This Threat Model

This is a living document maintained by the OpenClaw community. See CONTRIBUTING-THREAT-MODEL.md for guidelines on contributing:

Reporting new threats
Updating existing threats
Proposing attack chains
Suggesting mitigations

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

This threat model documents adversarial threats to the OpenClaw AI agent platform and ClawHub skill marketplace, using the MITRE ATLAS framework designed specifically for AI/ML systems.

1.2 Scope

Component	Included	Notes
OpenClaw Agent Runtime	Yes	Core agent execution, tool calls, sessions
Gateway	Yes	Authentication, routing, channel integration
Channel Integrations	Yes	WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Signal, Slack, etc.
ClawHub Marketplace	Yes	Skill publishing, moderation, distribution
MCP Servers	Yes	External tool providers
User Devices	Partial	Mobile apps, desktop clients

1.3 Out of Scope

Nothing is explicitly out of scope for this threat model.

2. System Architecture

2.1 Trust Boundaries


text
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    UNTRUSTED ZONE                                │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐              │
│  │  WhatsApp   │  │  Telegram   │  │   Discord   │  ...         │
│  └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘              │
│         │                │                │                      │
└─────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┼──────────────────────┘
          │                │                │
          ▼                ▼                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 TRUST BOUNDARY 1: Channel Access                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                      GATEWAY                              │   │
│  │  • Device Pairing (1h DM / 5m node grace period)           │   │
│  │  • AllowFrom / AllowList validation                       │   │
│  │  • Token/Password/Tailscale auth                          │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 TRUST BOUNDARY 2: Session Isolation              │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                   AGENT SESSIONS                          │   │
│  │  • Session key = agent:channel:peer                       │   │
│  │  • Tool policies per agent                                │   │
│  │  • Transcript logging                                     │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 TRUST BOUNDARY 3: Tool Execution                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                  EXECUTION SANDBOX                        │   │
│  │  • Docker sandbox OR Host (exec-approvals)                │   │
│  │  • Node remote execution                                  │   │
│  │  • SSRF protection (DNS pinning + IP blocking)            │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 TRUST BOUNDARY 4: External Content               │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │              FETCHED URLs / EMAILS / WEBHOOKS             │   │
│  │  • External content wrapping (XML tags)                   │   │
│  │  • Security notice injection                              │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 TRUST BOUNDARY 5: Supply Chain                   │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                      CLAWHUB                              │   │
│  │  • Skill publishing (semver, SKILL.md required)           │   │
│  │  • Pattern-based moderation flags                         │   │
│  │  • VirusTotal scanning (coming soon)                      │   │
│  │  • GitHub account age verification                        │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

2.2 Data Flows

Flow	Source	Destination	Data	Protection
F1	Channel	Gateway	User messages	TLS, AllowFrom
F2	Gateway	Agent	Routed messages	Session isolation
F3	Agent	Tools	Tool invocations	Policy enforcement
F4	Agent	External	web_fetch requests	SSRF blocking
F5	ClawHub	Agent	Skill code	Moderation, scanning
F6	Agent	Channel	Responses	Output filtering

3. Threat Analysis by ATLAS Tactic

3.1 Reconnaissance (AML.TA0002)

T-RECON-001: Agent Endpoint Discovery

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0006 - Active Scanning
Description	Attacker scans for exposed OpenClaw gateway endpoints
Attack Vector	Network scanning, shodan queries, DNS enumeration
Affected Components	Gateway, exposed API endpoints
Current Mitigations	Tailscale auth option, bind to loopback by default
Residual Risk	Medium - Public gateways discoverable
Recommendations	Document secure deployment, add rate limiting on discovery endpoints

T-RECON-002: Channel Integration Probing

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0006 - Active Scanning
Description	Attacker probes messaging channels to identify AI-managed accounts
Attack Vector	Sending test messages, observing response patterns
Affected Components	All channel integrations
Current Mitigations	None specific
Residual Risk	Low - Limited value from discovery alone
Recommendations	Consider response timing randomization

3.2 Initial Access (AML.TA0004)

T-ACCESS-001: Pairing Code Interception

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0040 - AI Model Inference API Access
Description	Attacker intercepts pairing code during pairing grace period (1h for DM channel pairing, 5m for node pairing)
Attack Vector	Shoulder surfing, network sniffing, social engineering
Affected Components	Device pairing system
Current Mitigations	1h expiry (DM pairing) / 5m expiry (node pairing), codes sent via existing channel
Residual Risk	Medium - Grace period exploitable
Recommendations	Reduce grace period, add confirmation step

T-ACCESS-002: AllowFrom Spoofing

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0040 - AI Model Inference API Access
Description	Attacker spoofs allowed sender identity in channel
Attack Vector	Depends on channel - phone number spoofing, username impersonation
Affected Components	AllowFrom validation per channel
Current Mitigations	Channel-specific identity verification
Residual Risk	Medium - Some channels vulnerable to spoofing
Recommendations	Document channel-specific risks, add cryptographic verification where possible

T-ACCESS-003: Token Theft

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0040 - AI Model Inference API Access
Description	Attacker steals authentication tokens from config files
Attack Vector	Malware, unauthorized device access, config backup exposure
Affected Components	~/.openclaw/credentials/, config storage
Current Mitigations	File permissions
Residual Risk	High - Tokens stored in plaintext
Recommendations	Implement token encryption at rest, add token rotation

3.3 Execution (AML.TA0005)

T-EXEC-001: Direct Prompt Injection

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0051.000 - LLM Prompt Injection: Direct
Description	Attacker sends crafted prompts to manipulate agent behavior
Attack Vector	Channel messages containing adversarial instructions
Affected Components	Agent LLM, all input surfaces
Current Mitigations	Pattern detection, external content wrapping
Residual Risk	Critical - Detection only, no blocking; sophisticated attacks bypass
Recommendations	Implement multi-layer defense, output validation, user confirmation for sensitive actions

T-EXEC-002: Indirect Prompt Injection

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0051.001 - LLM Prompt Injection: Indirect
Description	Attacker embeds malicious instructions in fetched content
Attack Vector	Malicious URLs, poisoned emails, compromised webhooks
Affected Components	web_fetch, email ingestion, external data sources
Current Mitigations	Content wrapping with XML tags and security notice
Residual Risk	High - LLM may ignore wrapper instructions
Recommendations	Implement content sanitization, separate execution contexts

T-EXEC-003: Tool Argument Injection

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0051.000 - LLM Prompt Injection: Direct
Description	Attacker manipulates tool arguments through prompt injection
Attack Vector	Crafted prompts that influence tool parameter values
Affected Components	All tool invocations
Current Mitigations	Exec approvals for dangerous commands
Residual Risk	High - Relies on user judgment
Recommendations	Implement argument validation, parameterized tool calls

T-EXEC-004: Exec Approval Bypass

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0043 - Craft Adversarial Data
Description	Attacker crafts commands that bypass approval allowlist
Attack Vector	Command obfuscation, alias exploitation, path manipulation
Affected Components	exec-approvals.ts, command allowlist
Current Mitigations	Allowlist + ask mode
Residual Risk	High - No command sanitization
Recommendations	Implement command normalization, expand blocklist

3.4 Persistence (AML.TA0006)

T-PERSIST-001: Malicious Skill Installation

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0010.001 - Supply Chain Compromise: AI Software
Description	Attacker publishes malicious skill to ClawHub
Attack Vector	Create account, publish skill with hidden malicious code
Affected Components	ClawHub, skill loading, agent execution
Current Mitigations	GitHub account age verification, pattern-based moderation flags
Residual Risk	Critical - No sandboxing, limited review
Recommendations	VirusTotal integration (in progress), skill sandboxing, community review

T-PERSIST-002: Skill Update Poisoning

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0010.001 - Supply Chain Compromise: AI Software
Description	Attacker compromises popular skill and pushes malicious update
Attack Vector	Account compromise, social engineering of skill owner
Affected Components	ClawHub versioning, auto-update flows
Current Mitigations	Version fingerprinting
Residual Risk	High - Auto-updates may pull malicious versions
Recommendations	Implement update signing, rollback capability, version pinning

T-PERSIST-003: Agent Configuration Tampering

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0010.002 - Supply Chain Compromise: Data
Description	Attacker modifies agent configuration to persist access
Attack Vector	Config file modification, settings injection
Affected Components	Agent config, tool policies
Current Mitigations	File permissions
Residual Risk	Medium - Requires local access
Recommendations	Config integrity verification, audit logging for config changes

3.5 Defense Evasion (AML.TA0007)

T-EVADE-001: Moderation Pattern Bypass

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0043 - Craft Adversarial Data
Description	Attacker crafts skill content to evade moderation patterns
Attack Vector	Unicode homoglyphs, encoding tricks, dynamic loading
Affected Components	ClawHub moderation.ts
Current Mitigations	Pattern-based FLAG_RULES
Residual Risk	High - Simple regex easily bypassed
Recommendations	Add behavioral analysis (VirusTotal Code Insight), AST-based detection

T-EVADE-002: Content Wrapper Escape

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0043 - Craft Adversarial Data
Description	Attacker crafts content that escapes XML wrapper context
Attack Vector	Tag manipulation, context confusion, instruction override
Affected Components	External content wrapping
Current Mitigations	XML tags + security notice
Residual Risk	Medium - Novel escapes discovered regularly
Recommendations	Multiple wrapper layers, output-side validation

3.6 Discovery (AML.TA0008)

T-DISC-001: Tool Enumeration

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0040 - AI Model Inference API Access
Description	Attacker enumerates available tools through prompting
Attack Vector	"What tools do you have?" style queries
Affected Components	Agent tool registry
Current Mitigations	None specific
Residual Risk	Low - Tools generally documented
Recommendations	Consider tool visibility controls

T-DISC-002: Session Data Extraction

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0040 - AI Model Inference API Access
Description	Attacker extracts sensitive data from session context
Attack Vector	"What did we discuss?" queries, context probing
Affected Components	Session transcripts, context window
Current Mitigations	Session isolation per sender
Residual Risk	Medium - Within-session data accessible
Recommendations	Implement sensitive data redaction in context

3.7 Collection & Exfiltration (AML.TA0009, AML.TA0010)

T-EXFIL-001: Data Theft via web_fetch

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0009 - Collection
Description	Attacker exfiltrates data by instructing agent to send to external URL
Attack Vector	Prompt injection causing agent to POST data to attacker server
Affected Components	web_fetch tool
Current Mitigations	SSRF blocking for internal networks
Residual Risk	High - External URLs permitted
Recommendations	Implement URL allowlisting, data classification awareness

T-EXFIL-002: Unauthorized Message Sending

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0009 - Collection
Description	Attacker causes agent to send messages containing sensitive data
Attack Vector	Prompt injection causing agent to message attacker
Affected Components	Message tool, channel integrations
Current Mitigations	Outbound messaging gating
Residual Risk	Medium - Gating may be bypassed
Recommendations	Require explicit confirmation for new recipients

T-EXFIL-003: Credential Harvesting

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0009 - Collection
Description	Malicious skill harvests credentials from agent context
Attack Vector	Skill code reads environment variables, config files
Affected Components	Skill execution environment
Current Mitigations	None specific to skills
Residual Risk	Critical - Skills run with agent privileges
Recommendations	Skill sandboxing, credential isolation

3.8 Impact (AML.TA0011)

T-IMPACT-001: Unauthorized Command Execution

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0031 - Erode AI Model Integrity
Description	Attacker executes arbitrary commands on user system
Attack Vector	Prompt injection combined with exec approval bypass
Affected Components	Bash tool, command execution
Current Mitigations	Exec approvals, Docker sandbox option
Residual Risk	Critical - Host execution without sandbox
Recommendations	Default to sandbox, improve approval UX

T-IMPACT-002: Resource Exhaustion (DoS)

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0031 - Erode AI Model Integrity
Description	Attacker exhausts API credits or compute resources
Attack Vector	Automated message flooding, expensive tool calls
Affected Components	Gateway, agent sessions, API provider
Current Mitigations	None
Residual Risk	High - No rate limiting
Recommendations	Implement per-sender rate limits, cost budgets

T-IMPACT-003: Reputation Damage

Attribute	Value
ATLAS ID	AML.T0031 - Erode AI Model Integrity
Description	Attacker causes agent to send harmful/offensive content
Attack Vector	Prompt injection causing inappropriate responses
Affected Components	Output generation, channel messaging
Current Mitigations	LLM provider content policies
Residual Risk	Medium - Provider filters imperfect
Recommendations	Output filtering layer, user controls

4. ClawHub Supply Chain Analysis

4.1 Current Security Controls

Control	Implementation	Effectiveness
GitHub Account Age	text `requireGitHubAccountAge()`	Medium - Raises bar for new attackers
Path Sanitization	text `sanitizePath()`	High - Prevents path traversal
File Type Validation	text `isTextFile()`	Medium - Only text files, but can still be malicious
Size Limits	50MB total bundle	High - Prevents resource exhaustion
Required SKILL.md	Mandatory readme	Low security value - Informational only
Pattern Moderation	FLAG_RULES in moderation.ts	Low - Easily bypassed
Moderation Status	text `moderationStatus` field	Medium - Manual review possible

4.2 Moderation Flag Patterns

Current patterns in

text

moderation.ts


javascript
// Known-bad identifiers
/(keepcold131\/ClawdAuthenticatorTool|ClawdAuthenticatorTool)/i

// Suspicious keywords
/(malware|stealer|phish|phishing|keylogger)/i
/(api[-_ ]?key|token|password|private key|secret)/i
/(wallet|seed phrase|mnemonic|crypto)/i
/(discord\.gg|webhook|hooks\.slack)/i
/(curl[^\n]+\|\s*(sh|bash))/i
/(bit\.ly|tinyurl\.com|t\.co|goo\.gl|is\.gd)/i

Limitations:

Only checks slug, displayName, summary, frontmatter, metadata, file paths
Does not analyze actual skill code content
Simple regex easily bypassed with obfuscation
No behavioral analysis

4.3 Planned Improvements

Improvement	Status	Impact
VirusTotal Integration	In Progress	High - Code Insight behavioral analysis
Community Reporting	Partial ( text `skillReports` table exists)	Medium
Audit Logging	Partial ( text `auditLogs` table exists)	Medium
Badge System	Implemented	Medium - text `highlighted` , text `official` , text `deprecated` , text `redactionApproved`

5. Risk Matrix

5.1 Likelihood vs Impact

Threat ID	Likelihood	Impact	Risk Level	Priority
T-EXEC-001	High	Critical	Critical	P0
T-PERSIST-001	High	Critical	Critical	P0
T-EXFIL-003	Medium	Critical	Critical	P0
T-IMPACT-001	Medium	Critical	High	P1
T-EXEC-002	High	High	High	P1
T-EXEC-004	Medium	High	High	P1
T-ACCESS-003	Medium	High	High	P1
T-EXFIL-001	Medium	High	High	P1
T-IMPACT-002	High	Medium	High	P1
T-EVADE-001	High	Medium	Medium	P2
T-ACCESS-001	Low	High	Medium	P2
T-ACCESS-002	Low	High	Medium	P2
T-PERSIST-002	Low	High	Medium	P2

5.2 Critical Path Attack Chains

Attack Chain 1: Skill-Based Data Theft


text
T-PERSIST-001 → T-EVADE-001 → T-EXFIL-003
(Publish malicious skill) → (Evade moderation) → (Harvest credentials)

Attack Chain 2: Prompt Injection to RCE


text
T-EXEC-001 → T-EXEC-004 → T-IMPACT-001
(Inject prompt) → (Bypass exec approval) → (Execute commands)

Attack Chain 3: Indirect Injection via Fetched Content


text
T-EXEC-002 → T-EXFIL-001 → External exfiltration
(Poison URL content) → (Agent fetches & follows instructions) → (Data sent to attacker)

6. Recommendations Summary

6.1 Immediate (P0)

ID	Recommendation	Addresses
R-001	Complete VirusTotal integration	T-PERSIST-001, T-EVADE-001
R-002	Implement skill sandboxing	T-PERSIST-001, T-EXFIL-003
R-003	Add output validation for sensitive actions	T-EXEC-001, T-EXEC-002

6.2 Short-term (P1)

ID	Recommendation	Addresses
R-004	Implement rate limiting	T-IMPACT-002
R-005	Add token encryption at rest	T-ACCESS-003
R-006	Improve exec approval UX and validation	T-EXEC-004
R-007	Implement URL allowlisting for web_fetch	T-EXFIL-001

6.3 Medium-term (P2)

ID	Recommendation	Addresses
R-008	Add cryptographic channel verification where possible	T-ACCESS-002
R-009	Implement config integrity verification	T-PERSIST-003
R-010	Add update signing and version pinning	T-PERSIST-002

7. Appendices

7.1 ATLAS Technique Mapping

ATLAS ID	Technique Name	OpenClaw Threats
AML.T0006	Active Scanning	T-RECON-001, T-RECON-002
AML.T0009	Collection	T-EXFIL-001, T-EXFIL-002, T-EXFIL-003
AML.T0010.001	Supply Chain: AI Software	T-PERSIST-001, T-PERSIST-002
AML.T0010.002	Supply Chain: Data	T-PERSIST-003
AML.T0031	Erode AI Model Integrity	T-IMPACT-001, T-IMPACT-002, T-IMPACT-003
AML.T0040	AI Model Inference API Access	T-ACCESS-001, T-ACCESS-002, T-ACCESS-003, T-DISC-001, T-DISC-002
AML.T0043	Craft Adversarial Data	T-EXEC-004, T-EVADE-001, T-EVADE-002
AML.T0051.000	LLM Prompt Injection: Direct	T-EXEC-001, T-EXEC-003
AML.T0051.001	LLM Prompt Injection: Indirect	T-EXEC-002

7.2 Key Security Files

Path	Purpose	Risk Level
text `src/infra/exec-approvals.ts`	Command approval logic	Critical
text `src/gateway/auth.ts`	Gateway authentication	Critical
text `src/infra/net/ssrf.ts`	SSRF protection	Critical
text `src/security/external-content.ts`	Prompt injection mitigation	Critical
text `src/agents/sandbox/tool-policy.ts`	Tool policy enforcement	Critical
text `src/routing/resolve-route.ts`	Session isolation	Medium

7.3 Glossary

Term	Definition
ATLAS	MITRE's Adversarial Threat Landscape for AI Systems
ClawHub	OpenClaw's skill marketplace
Gateway	OpenClaw's message routing and authentication layer
MCP	Model Context Protocol - tool provider interface
Prompt Injection	Attack where malicious instructions are embedded in input
Skill	Downloadable extension for OpenClaw agents
SSRF	Server-Side Request Forgery

This threat model is a living document. Report security issues to security@openclaw.ai

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