OpenClaw Windows WSL2 Install Guide

• Outcome: Review
• Latest audit: Sep 12, 2026 · 1:58 AM UTC
• Version: 1.1.0

Overview

This is a coherent OpenClaw WSL installation guide, but it asks users to run an unverified remote installer and make broad administrator/root security changes.

Before installing, review the commands instead of running the guide blindly. Avoid passwordless sudo and routine root use, verify the OpenClaw installer from an official source before executing it, restrict any firewall rule to only the access you need, and re-enable any security protections immediately if you temporarily change them.

A.I.G

Vulnerability Patterns

• Remote Payload Retrieval and Execution: Fetches external code whose behavior can change after review
• Unauthorized Access and Privilege Escalation: Obtains permissions beyond the task's legitimate needs
• Insecure Skill Coding Practices: Finds exploitable flaws such as hardcoded secrets or command injection
• Skill Instruction Hijacking: Alters the agent's session goals or safety constraints when the skill loads
• Agent Memory Poisoning: Writes attacker-controlled rules into memory that affect later sessions

Findings (7)

T03 · Remote Payload Retrieval and Execution

Error

• Location: SKILL.md:369

Finding

Unverified Remote Installation Script Executed Directly by Bash

Content

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Remediation

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T05 · Unauthorized Access and Privilege Escalation

Error

• Location: SKILL.md:275

Finding

Persistent Unrestricted Passwordless Sudo Granted to the OpenClaw User

Content

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> /etc/sudoers ``` ### Technical Analysis This sudoers entry permits the `openclaw` account to execute every command as any user, including root, without authentication. The grant persists across sessions and is substantially broader than the privileges needed to install or operate an application. The command also appends directly to `/etc/sudoers` instead of using a dedicated file under `/etc/sudoers.d` and validating it with `visudo`. A syntax error or conflicting entry could damage sudo operation. This configuration materially amplifies the remote-installer risk because any process compromised under the `openclaw` account can silently become root. ### Attack Path 1. The user adds the recommended sudoers entry. 2. A remote installer, OpenClaw component, dependency, or other process running as `openclaw` is compromised. 3. The compromised process executes an arbitrary command through `sudo`, such as modifying system configuration or installing a privileged payload. 4. Sudo grants root privileges without requesting a password or requiring further user approval. 5. The attacker obtains full control over the WSL distribution. ### Impact Assessment An attacker controlling any process under the affected account can obtain root privileges, read or modify all WSL files, change system configuration, replace executables, tamper with services, and establish persistence within the distribution. The privilege grant applies to all commands rather than only those required by OpenClaw. ]]>

Remediation

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T05 · Unauthorized Access and Privilege Escalation

Warning

• Location: SKILL.md:72

Finding

Blanket Requirement to Perform Installation Operations as Windows Administrator

Content

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Remediation

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T05 · Unauthorized Access and Privilege Escalation

Warning

• Location: SKILL.md:291

Finding

Guide Endorses Routine Direct Root Use in WSL

Content

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Remediation

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T09 · Insecure Skill Coding Practices

Warning

• Location: SKILL.md:359

Finding

Unrestricted Inbound Firewall Rule Exposes the OpenClaw Service

Content

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Remediation

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T09 · Insecure Skill Coding Practices

Warning

• Location: SKILL.md:522

Finding

Troubleshooting Recommends Disabling Third-Party Antivirus Protection

Content

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Remediation

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T09 · Insecure Skill Coding Practices

Warning

• Location: SKILL.md:532

Finding

Troubleshooting Recommends Disabling Windows Memory Integrity

Content

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Remediation

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SkillSpector

Vulnerability Patterns

• Data Exfiltration: External Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
• Privilege Escalation: Excessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access
• Supply Chain: Unpinned Dependencies, External Script Fetching, Obfuscated Code
• Tool Misuse: Tool Parameter Abuse, Chaining Abuse, Unsafe Defaults
• YARA Signatures: Malware Match, Webshell Match, Cryptominer Match

Findings (22)

Chaining Abuse

High

• Category: Tool Misuse
• Confidence: 75% confidence

Finding

Tool calls are chained to bypass individual safety checks or escalate capabilities beyond what any single tool call would allow.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 142)May include surrounding context.

bash

sudo sed -i 's|http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|https://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu|g' /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo sed -i 's|http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|https://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu|g' /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

After completing, skip to Chapter 4. / 完成后跳转到第四章继续。

External Script Fetching

High

• Category: Supply Chain
• Confidence: 99% confidence

Finding

curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash is direct remote code execution from a network source with no inspection, checksum verification, signing, or version pinning. Because this appears in a step-by-step installation guide, users are highly likely to execute it verbatim, making the risk concrete rather than theoretical.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 369)May include surrounding context.

Run after entering WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash

4.4 Fix PATH Environment Variable / 修复 PATH 环境变量

Chaining Abuse

High

• Category: Tool Misuse
• Confidence: 99% confidence

Finding

The | bash pipeline turns fetched remote content directly into executed shell code, eliminating opportunities for review or integrity checking. In context, this is one of the most dangerous patterns in the guide because it normalizes blind execution during installation.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 369)May include surrounding context.

Run after entering WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash

4.4 Fix PATH Environment Variable / 修复 PATH 环境变量

YARA rule 'backdoor_persistence': Backdoor persistence with malicious payloads (shell commands, SSH key injection, hidden root users) [malware]

High

• Category: YARA Match
• Confidence: 75% confidence

Finding

YARA rule matched a known malware signature (reverse shell, backdoor, ransomware, C2 framework, or info stealer).

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 376)May include surrounding context.

n after entering WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash

4.4 Fix PATH Environment Variable / 修复 PATH 环境变量

If after installation it says openclaw command not found, that means npm global bin directory isn't in PATH: / 如果安装完成后提示 openclaw 命令找不到，说明 npm 全局 bin 目录没有加入 PATH：

bash

echo 'export PATH="/home/openclaw/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Verify: / 验证：

bash

which openclaw
openclaw --version

4.5 Run Initialization Wizard / 运行初始化向导

bash

openclaw setup

Follow the wizard prompts to complete configuration. / 按照向导提示完成配置即可。

---

Chapter 5: LLM Model Configuration / 第五章：LLM 模型配置

After installing OpenClaw, you need to configure your own LLM API key in the setup wizard. You can choose any LLM provider that fits your needs. Common options include: 安装完成�

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 133)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 134)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 135)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 140)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 141)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 142)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 491)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 567)May include surrounding context.

Run inside WSL: / 进入 WSL 后执行：

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 265)May include surrounding context.

md

# 给用户设置密码（输入时无回显，务必牢记）
passwd openclaw

# 3. Add user to sudo group for admin privileges
# 给用户赋予 sudo 管理员权限
usermod -aG sudo openclaw

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 266)May include surrounding context.

md

# 给用户设置密码（输入时无回显，务必牢记）
passwd openclaw

# 3. Add user to sudo group for admin privileges
# 给用户赋予 sudo 管理员权限
usermod -aG sudo openclaw

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 267)May include surrounding context.

md

# 给用户设置密码（输入时无回显，务必牢记）
passwd openclaw

# 3. Add user to sudo group for admin privileges
# 给用户赋予 sudo 管理员权限
usermod -aG sudo openclaw

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 70% confidence

Finding

Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 297)May include surrounding context.

md

# 给用户设置密码（输入时无回显，务必牢记）
passwd openclaw

# 3. Add user to sudo group for admin privileges
# 给用户赋予 sudo 管理员权限
usermod -aG sudo openclaw

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 97% confidence

Finding

The step explicitly recommends configuring passwordless sudo, which removes a key friction point protecting privileged operations. In this setup context, where users may later run fetched scripts and third-party tools, that change significantly amplifies the blast radius of any compromise.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 273)May include surrounding context.

配置 WSL 默认登录用户为刚创建的用户

echo -e "[user]\ndefault = openclaw" >> /etc/wsl.conf

5. (Recommended) Configure passwordless sudo to avoid repeated typing during install

配置 sudo 免密（推荐，避免安装过程频繁输入密码）

echo "openclaw ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL" >> /etc/sudoers

text

Missing User Warnings

Medium

• Category: Not specified by scanner
• Confidence: 98% confidence

Finding

Appending openclaw ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL to /etc/sudoers grants unrestricted passwordless root access to that account, dramatically lowering the barrier for privilege escalation from any compromised shell, package, or application running as that user. The guide even labels this as recommended, without a strong warning or safer scoping, which materially increases risk for end users.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium

• Category: Privilege Escalation
• Confidence: 99% confidence

Finding

Writing NOPASSWD: ALL to /etc/sudoers gives the named user unrestricted passwordless root access. Combined with subsequent installation of external software, this creates a straightforward privilege-escalation path if the account or installed tooling is compromised.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 274)May include surrounding context.

echo -e "[user]\ndefault = openclaw" >> /etc/wsl.conf

5. (Recommended) Configure passwordless sudo to avoid repeated typing during install

配置 sudo 免密（推荐，避免安装过程频繁输入密码）

echo "openclaw ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL" >> /etc/sudoers

text

Missing User Warnings

Medium

• Category: Not specified by scanner
• Confidence: 99% confidence

Finding

The guide instructs users to execute a remote script directly with curl ... | bash, which gives unaudited network content immediate code execution on the user's system. In a setup guide context this is especially dangerous because users are primed to trust and run commands as-is, and there is no integrity verification, pinning, or warning about reviewing the script first.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

External Transmission

Medium

• Category: Data Exfiltration
• Confidence: 60% confidence

Finding

Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 447)May include surrounding context.

• Cause / 原因: Network connectivity to GitHub is unstable in China / 国内网络访问 GitHub 不稳定
• Solution / 解决: Use ghproxy.com mirror to download, e.g.: / 使用 ghproxy.com 镜像下载，例如：

  bash

  curl -fSL https://ghproxy.com/https://github.com/microsoft/WSL/releases/download/2.3.26/wsl.2.3.26.0.x64.msi -o wsl-install.msi
  

---

Natural-Language Policy Violations

Low

• Category: Not specified by scanner
• Confidence: 90% confidence

Finding

The manifest description is written entirely in Chinese and presents the skill as a Chinese-language installation guide, with no indication that users can choose another language or that the skill is intended only for a Chinese-speaking audience. This can be a natural-language policy issue when a skill implicitly enforces a language/locale without opt-in or documented justification.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.