Ministry warns of security risks in OpenClaw AI agent

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has warned that the OpenClaw open-source AI assistant could pose security risks under default or improper configurations, exposing users to cyberattacks and data breaches.

OpenClaw, which is created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, is designed to allow large language models to operate computers autonomously, controlling files, executing commands and interacting through messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

According to the National Vulnerability DataBase (NVDB) of the ministry, users become susceptible to security risks such as data leaks and devices subject to remote control when using OpenClaw in the absence of effective permission controls, auditing mechanisms and security reinforcement.

The AI agent's vulnerability lies in its operation within "blurred trust boundaries" during its deployment, and its features including continuous operation, autonomous decision-making and access to system and external resources.

Experts advise that relevant organizations and individuals disable unnecessary public network access when deploying OpenClaw applications, improve security mechanisms such as identity authentication, access control, data encryption and security auditing, and continuously pay attention to official security announcements and hardening recommendations.

Ministry warns of security risks in OpenClaw AI agent

China successfully launched the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday night to send three astronauts to its orbiting space station, with newly released footage from China Media Group (CMG) showcasing the stunning ascent from multiple perspectives.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the trio is set to stay at the Tiangong space station for a year, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship successfully docked with the radial port of Tiangong's core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight mission of China's manned space program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

Footage shows liftoff of Shenzhou-23 spaceship from multiple angles