Setup OpenClaw: Managed Clawctl vs DIY DigitalOcean
In January 2026, researchers found 1,800+ exposed OpenClaw instances with leaked API keys.
Many were running on $6 VPS providers.
DigitalOcean will rent you a server for $6/month. What it won't do is secure your AI agent. That's your job.
The Numbers
- 42,665 exposed OpenClaw instances found (Maor Dayan, January 2026)
- 93.4% were vulnerable to exploitation
- 26% of agent skills contain security vulnerabilities (Cisco research)
- 1,800+ had leaked API keys visible in Shodan
OpenClaw has 154.5K GitHub stars and 2M weekly visitors. It's powerful. It's popular. And most deployments are dangerously exposed.
What $6 Gets You on DigitalOcean
- 1 vCPU
- 1 GB RAM
- 25 GB SSD
- SSH access
That's it. A computer.
What $6 does NOT get you:
- Gateway authentication
- Sandbox isolation
- Egress filtering
- Audit logging
- Human-in-the-loop
- Kill switch
- Any AI agent security whatsoever
DigitalOcean rents computers. Security is your job.
What $49 Gets You on Clawctl
- Managed OpenClaw deployment
- 256-bit gateway authentication (formally verified)
- Container sandbox isolation
- Egress proxy filtering (Squid, domain allowlist)
- Full audit logging (searchable, exportable)
- Human-in-the-loop approvals (70+ high-risk actions blocked)
- One-click kill switch
- Prompt injection defense
- Automatic security updates
You're not paying $43 more. You're buying protection against being in the next security report.
The Lethal Trifecta
Simon Willison describes the "lethal trifecta" — agents that:
- Access private data (files, credentials, APIs)
- Are exposed to untrusted content (user prompts, web inputs)
- Can communicate externally (HTTP calls, email, shell commands)
Every unmanaged OpenClaw instance has all three. That's what makes them exploitable.
Clawctl breaks the trifecta with:
- Encrypted secrets vault (data access controlled)
- Approval workflow for high-risk actions (untrusted content gated)
- Squid proxy egress control (external comms filtered)
Security Comparison
| Layer | DigitalOcean DIY | Clawctl Managed |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway auth | You build it (if you remember) | Built-in, formally verified |
| Sandbox | You configure Docker (maybe) | Automatic |
| Egress filtering | Too hard, skip it | Automatic |
| Audit logging | Roll your own | Automatic, searchable |
| Kill switch | SSH in and pray | One click |
| Human approval | Build from scratch (10+ hrs) | 70+ actions blocked |
| Prompt defense | What's that? | Enabled by default |
DigitalOcean: you build security or you don't have it.
Clawctl: security is the product.
The Real Cost
DigitalOcean (Honest Math):
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Droplet | $6/month |
| Your time (20 hours @ $75/hr) | $1,500 |
| Ongoing maintenance (2 hrs/month) | $150/month |
| Year 1 Total | $3,372 |
Clawctl:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Starter plan | $49/month |
| Your time | $0 |
| Maintenance | $0 |
| Year 1 Total | $588 |
DigitalOcean costs 5.7x more when you count your time.
Setup OpenClaw the Right Way
Don't end up in the next Shodan report.
Sign up at clawctl.com/checkout, pick a plan, and your agent is provisioned automatically in under 60 seconds.
Secured. Managed. No nginx configs. No Docker. No maintenance.
Your agent runs. Security is handled. You build features.