OpenClaw Partners with VirusTotal to Combat Malicious AI Skills

OpenClaw has partnered with VirusTotal to automatically scan all skills uploaded to its ClawHub marketplace, marking a significant step toward securing the rapidly expanding agentic AI ecosystem. This integration arrives as security researchers warn that malicious skills could transform AI agents into potent attack vectors capable of bypassing traditional security controls.

How VirusTotal Scanning Works

Every skill submitted to ClawHub undergoes automated analysis through VirusTotal's threat intelligence platform. The process involves:

1. Generating a SHA-256 hash for each skill
2. Checking against VirusTotal's malware database
3. Uploading unmatched bundles for deeper analysis via VirusTotal's Code Insight

Skills receive automated approval with a "benign" verdict, while suspicious ones trigger warnings. Confirmed malicious skills are blocked entirely. OpenClaw maintainers emphasized that all active skills are rescanned daily to catch newly compromised tools.

Despite these measures, OpenClaw cautioned that VirusTotal scanning isn't "a silver bullet," noting samples with sophisticated prompt injection payloads might evade detection. The company plans additional safeguards including a public threat model, security roadmap, and third-party code audit.

The Expanding Attack Surface

Recent analyses revealed alarming threats:

• 283 malicious skills (7.1% of ClawHub's registry) containing hardcoded credentials
• Cloned malicious skills distributed via paste services and GitHub repositories
• Zero-click attacks planting backdoors through document processing
• Web-based prompt injections manipulating agent behavior
• Over 30,000 internet-exposed OpenClaw instances detected by Censys

"AI agents with system access become covert data-leak channels bypassing traditional security," Cisco researchers warned. Backslash Security describes OpenClaw as "AI With Hands," emphasizing how agents "blur the boundary between user intent and machine execution."

The risks intensify with Shadow AI deployments. Astrix Security researcher Tomer Yahalom noted: "OpenClaw will show up in your organization whether you approve it or not. Employees install it because it's useful. The only question is whether you'll know about it."

Critical Vulnerabilities and Exposures

Recent findings highlight systemic risks:

• Cleartext credential storage in earlier versions
• Insecure coding patterns (including direct eval with user input)
• Unpatched one-click RCE via malicious websites
• Exposed Supabase database leaking 1.5M API tokens from Moltbook
• Default binding to 0.0.0.0 exposing API interfaces

HiddenLayer researchers identified fundamental flaws: "OpenClaw relies on the language model for security-critical decisions. Unless users proactively enable Docker sandboxing, full system access remains the default."

Practical Security Recommendations

1. Enable Docker Sandboxing: Restrict skills within containers
2. Secure Instances: Avoid public exposure; restrict network interfaces
3. Monitor Credentials: Regularly rotate API keys stored in .env and creds.json
4. Enterprise Controls: Implement agent monitoring to detect Shadow AI deployments
5. Vigilance with Skills: Verify publisher reputation before installation

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued alerts about misconfigured instances. SOCRadar CISO Ensar Seker advises: "When agent platforms go viral faster than security practices mature, misconfiguration becomes the primary attack surface. Harden identity, access control, and execution boundaries."

As Persmiso Security researchers concluded: "When you install a malicious agent skill, you're potentially compromising every system that agent has credentials for."