Kuyuchi Clawdbot Threat Model (Pre-Implementation)

Kuyuchi Clawdbot Threat Model (Pre-Implementation)

Date: 2026-02-18
Status: Draft, design gate for implementation
Applies to: planned kuyuchi-clawdbot minimal runtime profile

Code mapping: src/cuti/services/devcontainer.py (RUNTIME_SECURITY_CHECKLIST, runtime profile validation, seccomp enforcement)

1. Purpose

Define a strict security model for the minimal Clawdbot/OpenClaw container so blast radius is limited to:

• the assigned workspace
• explicitly mounted bot state
• allowed network communication paths

This document is a security gate before code changes.

2. Security Objectives

2.1 Primary objectives

1. Workspace confinement
   Bot runtime can access only the mounted workspace plus explicit state path.

2. Host protection
   Bot runtime cannot control host Docker, host kernel, or host filesystem beyond allowed mounts.

3. Network-enabled operation
   Bot runtime can reach required messaging/broker/provider endpoints.

4. Operational control and visibility
   Operators can monitor runtime policy state, active mounts, and runtime health in dashboard.

2.2 Non-objectives

• Preventing all outbound data exfiltration from compromised bot logic (this requires endpoint-specific egress policy and DLP, not just container isolation).
• Protecting against full host root compromise outside container runtime guarantees.

3. System Under Review

Current behavior (from repository):

• Unified container path for cloud util and Clawdbot (src/cuti/services/devcontainer.py).
• cuti clawdbot disables Docker socket mount (src/cuti/cli/commands/clawdbot.py:428), but still reuses broad runtime path.
• Runtime still uses host network (src/cuti/services/devcontainer.py:750) and mounts host ~/.cuti wholesale (src/cuti/services/devcontainer.py:736).
• Bootstrap script includes privileged setup steps (sudo, socket permission mutation, ownership rewrites) in src/cuti/services/devcontainer.py:808 and src/cuti/services/devcontainer.py:1056.

Security implication:

• Current clawdbot path has reduced host-Docker exposure compared with full cloud mode, but is not minimal-isolation.

4. Assets and Classification

5. Trust Boundaries

1. Host OS / Docker runtime boundary
   Untrusted bot execution must not cross into host control plane.

2. Container filesystem boundary
   Only explicit bind mounts are trusted exposure points.

3. Network boundary
   Outbound traffic required; ingress should be explicit and minimal.

4. Control plane boundary
   Dashboard/CLI actions that start/stop/configure runtime must be authenticated and auditable.

6. Threat Actors and Capabilities

1. Malicious prompt input / remote message sender
   Can induce arbitrary tool and shell actions through agent behavior.

2. Compromised plugin or tool dependency
   Executes arbitrary code inside bot runtime.

3. Curious insider with project access
   Tries to pivot from workspace to host/system controls.

4. External network attacker
   Targets exposed ports/services or browser automation endpoints.

7. Entry Points and Attack Surface

1. Clawdbot command execution path (cuti clawdbot ...).
2. Container runtime flags and mounts (docker run arguments).
3. Plugin/tool install and execution chain.
4. Browser automation subsystem (local browser or remote browser endpoint).
5. Gateway/network listeners and control UI ports.
6. State/config directories and symlink/link logic.

8. Abuse Cases (What Must Be Prevented)

1. Host Docker takeover
   Attacker reaches /var/run/docker.sock and starts privileged host containers.

2. Filesystem breakout via broad mounts
   Attacker reads secrets outside assigned workspace.

3. Container escape amplification
   Excess Linux capabilities or permissive seccomp enables kernel attack primitives.

4. Network pivot through host mode
   Host network exposure increases lateral movement and service discovery.

5. Plugin supply-chain execution with high privileges
   Dependency script executes with unnecessary privileges, modifies runtime policy.

6. Browser tool abuse
   Automated browser channel used to exfiltrate secrets from internal resources.

7. Silent policy drift
   Runtime starts without expected hardening flags and operators cannot detect it.

9. Threat Analysis (STRIDE-Oriented)

10. Mandatory Security Invariants

The minimal clawdbot profile must satisfy all invariants:

1. /var/run/docker.sock is not mounted.
2. Only approved mounts exist:
   • /workspace (rw)
   • /state (rw, optional but explicit)
   • no host home root mount
3. Container runs as non-root user.
4. Capabilities: none beyond baseline (cap_drop=ALL).
5. no-new-privileges is enabled.
6. Root filesystem is read-only; writable temp via tmpfs.
7. Network mode is not host; ingress only via explicit mapped ports.
8. Policy/mount/runtime settings are observable from dashboard/CLI.

If any invariant fails, runtime start must fail closed.

11. Required Control Set

11.1 Runtime isolation

• --cap-drop=ALL
• --security-opt=no-new-privileges:true
• --read-only
• --tmpfs /tmp:rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev
• --tmpfs /run:rw,nosuid,nodev
• --pids-limit and memory/cpu limits
• non-root --user
• optional hardening tier:
  • custom seccomp profile
  • AppArmor/SELinux profile
  • gVisor/Kata runtime class

11.2 Mount policy

• Allowed mounts only:
  • workspace path
  • dedicated clawdbot state path
• Disallowed:
  • host home directory root mounts
  • Docker socket
  • broad host config mounts unrelated to bot runtime

11.3 Network policy

• bridge mode by default (no host network)
• explicit -p for UI/gateway if needed
• optional egress allowlist for messaging providers and bot backends
• optional DNS restrictions for high-security mode

11.4 Plugin/tool policy

• allowlisted plugin set
• pinned versions/checksums
• plugin install/build in isolated build stage, not at runtime bootstrap
• disable arbitrary runtime package install in production mode

11.5 Secrets policy

• no secrets in image layers
• mount secrets as files/env only when needed
• rotateable bot state path and credential revocation path
• redact secrets from logs/events

11.6 Observability and control plane

• dashboard endpoints for:
  • active profile
  • effective mounts
  • effective security flags/capabilities
  • process/resource/network summary
• append-only audit records for:
  • profile changes
  • runtime start/stop/restart
  • config changes
  • policy violations

12. Verification Plan (Pass/Fail Security Tests)

Run these against clawdbot profile on every release:

1. No Docker socket test
   Inside container: /var/run/docker.sock absent -> pass.

2. Mount confinement test
   Inside container cannot read host paths outside mounts -> pass.

3. Capability drop test
   capsh --print (or equivalent) confirms no elevated caps -> pass.

4. No-new-privileges test
   Runtime inspect confirms NoNewPrivileges=true -> pass.

5. Read-only rootfs test
   Write to /usr fails; write to /tmp succeeds -> pass.

6. Network mode test
   Inspect confirms non-host network mode -> pass.

7. Ingress exposure test
   Only explicitly mapped ports reachable from host -> pass.

8. Policy introspection test
   Dashboard/CLI shows effective runtime policy and mounts -> pass.

9. Audit trail test
   Start/stop/config events appear with timestamps and actor/source -> pass.

13. Residual Risks

1. Application-level exfiltration
   Even with strong container isolation, bot logic can exfiltrate workspace data over allowed network.

2. Zero-day container/runtime escape
   Mitigated but not eliminated; stronger runtime isolation reduces impact.

3. Operator misconfiguration
   Wrong profile or custom run args can weaken controls unless fail-closed validation exists.

14. Incident Response Requirements

Minimum response workflow:

1. Stop affected clawdbot runtime(s).
2. Snapshot logs + policy + config metadata (secrets redacted).
3. Revoke/rotate channel/provider credentials.
4. Recreate runtime from known-good profile.
5. Review audit timeline and tighten policy gaps.

15. Mapping to Planned Implementation

From docs/kuyuchi-container-audit.md, implementation phases should satisfy this model:

• Phase 1: profile split and mount/network separation.
• Phase 2: hardening flags + seccomp + tests.
• Phase 3: dashboard policy visibility + auditability.

No phase can be considered complete unless section 10 invariants and section 12 tests pass.