OpenClaw Strikes Again: Your Favorite AI Assistant Just Became an Infostealer Buffet

If you thought the Moltbot era was chaotic, buckle up. The artist formerly known as ClawdBot → MoltBot → now OpenClaw has rebranded yet again, but the drama remains delightfully on‑brand. And by “delightfully,” I mean “your security team is crying into their coffee.”

OpenClaw has exploded in popularity because it’s helpful, fast, and runs locally—like a tiny digital butler who remembers everything you say and stores it neatly in configuration files on your machine. What could go wrong?

Well… everything. And now we have proof.

A Quick Recap: Why Everyone Loves OpenClaw (Except Security Teams)

OpenClaw is a locally running AI agent framework that can access your files, log into your apps, and interact with cloud services. It’s basically your personal AI intern with full‑time access and zero boundaries. That convenience is exactly why it’s become a global hit for managing tasks, automating workflows, and acting as a personal assistant.

But with great convenience comes great opportunity—for attackers.

Security researchers have been warning for months that OpenClaw’s configuration files contain API keys, authentication tokens, private keys, and other “please don’t ever leak this” secrets. And because OpenClaw stores these in plaintext, infostealers don’t even have to try hard. They just scoop up whatever looks shiny.

And Now It’s Happened: Infostealers Are Feasting on OpenClaw Secrets

Hudson Rock has officially documented the first in‑the‑wild case of infostealer malware exfiltrating OpenClaw configuration files. This is the moment security researchers have been predicting—and dreading.

The malware (likely a Vidar variant) didn’t even target OpenClaw specifically. It just ran a broad file‑grabbing routine looking for filenames containing keywords like “token” or “private key.” OpenClaw’s `.openclawdirectory matched perfectly, and boom—your AI assistant’s entire identity was stolen.

What Got Stolen? Oh, Just Everything Important

The infostealer grabbed:

• openclaw.json — containing the victim’s email, workspace path, and a high‑entropy gateway authentication token. That token could allow attackers to remotely connect to a local OpenClaw instance or impersonate the user in authenticated requests.

• device.json — containing public and private cryptographic keys used for pairing and signing. With the private key, attackers can bypass “safe device” checks.

• soul.md + memory files — yes, OpenClaw literally stores a “soul” file. These contain behavioral rules, logs, private messages, calendar events, and a blueprint of the user’s digital life. Infostealers are now stealing souls. We live in a cyberpunk novel.

Hudson Rock called this a “significant milestone” in infostealer evolution—moving from browser passwords to harvesting the identities of personal AI agents.

Why This Matters for Small Businesses

Small businesses love OpenClaw because it’s cheap, fast, and makes you feel like you have a full‑time assistant without paying benefits. But that convenience comes with risk:

• AI agents store sensitive business data in plaintext

• Infostealers don’t need to target OpenClaw directly—they just grab everything

• Stolen tokens and keys can allow remote access, impersonation, and full identity compromise

• Memory files may contain internal notes, client details, schedules, and private communications

This isn’t just a malware infection—it’s a business continuity nightmare.

And as OpenClaw becomes more embedded in workflows, attackers will absolutely start building dedicated modules to parse and exploit these files. Today’s broad‑net infostealer is tomorrow’s OpenClaw‑specific harvesting engine.

So… What Now?

If you’re using OpenClaw (or any AI agent with local memory), you need to treat it like a privileged system:

• Harden the environment

• Monitor for infostealers

• Audit what the agent can access

• Lock down secrets

• Implement real governance around AI usage

And if that sounds overwhelming, that’s because it is.

This Is Exactly Why Small Businesses Need a Chief AI Officer (Without Hiring One)

AI is moving faster than most organizations can keep up with. Tools like OpenClaw are powerful, but they introduce new risks that traditional IT teams aren’t prepared for.

That’s where Actionable Security’s Chief AI Officer (CIAO) Advisory comes in.

We simplify AI adoption, help you deploy tools like OpenClaw safely, and make sure your business gets the competitive advantage of AI without accidentally leaking your digital soul to a Vidar variant.

👉 Learn more and get protected: https://actionablesec.com/vcaio

#OpenClawOopsie #MyAIStoleMySoul #InfostealersBeHungry