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OSSASAI - Open Security Standard for Agentic Systems

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OSSASAI is a security framework for AI agents — the bots that can run commands, browse the web, and access your files. It tells you what security controls to look for and how to verify they're working.


What Is This? (Simple Explanation)

AI agents are powerful but risky. They can:

  • Execute shell commands on your computer
  • Read and write your files
  • Browse the web and fill out forms
  • Send messages to your contacts

OSSASAI is a checklist that helps you answer: "Is my AI agent secure?"

AI Agent (Claude Code, OpenClaw, Cursor, etc.)
       ↓
OSSASAI asks: Does it have...
  ✓ Authentication? (Who can use it?)
  ✓ Sandboxing? (What can it access?)
  ✓ Logging? (Can you see what it did?)
  ✓ Isolation? (Can users see each other's data?)
       ↓
You check → You know if it's safe to use

Why Should I Care?

The Risk

Without proper security, an AI agent can be tricked into:

  • Running malicious commands ("delete all files")
  • Leaking your secrets ("show me your .env file")
  • Sending spam to your contacts
  • Mining cryptocurrency on your computer

The Solution

OSSASAI provides:

What How It Helps
Security Controls 24 specific things to check
Assurance Levels L1 (basic) → L2 (team) → L3 (enterprise)
Verification Steps Exact commands to run
Implementation Profiles Platform-specific guides

How To Use This

Option 1: I Use a Specific AI Agent (Recommended)

Find the implementation profile for your platform:

Platform Profile Link
OpenClaw OCSAS github.com/gensecaihq/ocsas

Want to contribute a profile? See Creating Profiles to add support for other AI agents like Claude Code, Cursor, or your own platform.

The profile gives you:

  • Exact settings to configure
  • Copy-paste config files
  • Commands to verify security

Option 2: I'm Building an AI Agent

Use OSSASAI as your security requirements:

  1. Read the controlscontrols/
  2. Pick your assurance level → L1, L2, or L3
  3. Implement the required controls → Each control has verification steps
  4. Create a profile → Document how your platform meets each control

Option 3: I'm Auditing an AI Agent

Use OSSASAI as your audit framework:

  1. Review the threat modelthreat-model/
  2. Check each applicable controlcontrols/
  3. Collect evidencecompliance/
  4. Generate reporttools/ossasai-report.py

Quick Start: 5-Minute Security Check

If you're using OpenClaw, run:

# Check your security posture
openclaw security audit --deep

# Auto-fix common issues
openclaw security audit --fix

# Verify it worked
openclaw health

For other platforms, check if they have an OSSASAI profile or follow the generic quickstart.


The 24 Security Controls (Overview)

OSSASAI defines 24 controls across 7 domains:

1. General Security (GEN)

Control What It Checks
GEN-01 Is security enabled by default?
GEN-02 Does it fail safely (deny access on error)?
GEN-03 Does it use least privilege?
GEN-04 Are there multiple security layers?
GEN-05 Is there audit logging?

2. Control Plane (CP)

Control What It Checks
CP-01 Is the admin interface hidden by default?
CP-02 Is authentication required?
CP-03 Are proxy headers validated?
CP-04 Are operator and agent identities separate?

3. Identity & Session (ID)

Control What It Checks
ID-01 Are new contacts verified before access?
ID-02 Are user sessions isolated from each other?
ID-03 Are group/channel policies enforced?

4. Tool Governance (TB)

Control What It Checks
TB-01 Are tools restricted to minimum needed?
TB-02 Do dangerous actions require approval?
TB-03 Is there sandboxing for untrusted code?
TB-04 Is data exfiltration prevented?

5. Local State (LS)

Control What It Checks
LS-01 Are secrets encrypted/protected at rest?
LS-02 Are logs redacted of sensitive data?
LS-03 Is memory protected from injection?
LS-04 Can data be deleted on request?

6. Supply Chain (SC)

Control What It Checks
SC-01 Are plugins from trusted sources only?
SC-02 Are dependencies pinned and verified?

7. Network Security (NS)

Control What It Checks
NS-01 Is TLS enforced?
NS-02 Are certificates validated?
NS-03 Are API endpoints secured?
NS-04 Is network discovery secured?

Assurance Levels

Pick based on your deployment:

Level Name Who It's For Security Posture
L1 Local-First Solo developers, local testing Basic protection
L2 Network-Aware Teams, shared environments Multi-user isolation
L3 High-Assurance Enterprise, compliance needs Maximum security

What Each Level Requires

L1 (Basic)
├── Authentication enabled
├── Default-deny for unknown contacts
├── File permissions correct
└── Logging enabled

L2 (Team) = L1 +
├── Session isolation between users
├── Sandboxing for non-trusted sessions
├── TLS for network connections
└── Plugin verification

L3 (Enterprise) = L2 +
├── All sessions sandboxed
├── Formal verification (optional)
├── Tamper-evident logging
└── Full audit trail

Implementation Profiles

OSSASAI is generic. Profiles translate it to specific platforms:

OSSASAI Control: "ID-01: Verify new contacts"
       ↓
OpenClaw Profile (OCSAS): "Set dmPolicy: 'pairing'"
       ↓
Your Platform Profile: [Document how your platform implements this]

Available Profiles

Profile Platform Repository
OCSAS OpenClaw github.com/gensecaihq/ocsas

Creating a New Profile

Want to create a profile for another AI agent? See Creating Profiles.


Framework Structure

ossasai/
├── spec/                     # What OSSASAI requires
│   ├── overview.md           # Framework overview
│   ├── assurance-levels.md   # L1/L2/L3 definitions
│   └── trust-boundaries.md   # Security boundaries
├── threat-model/             # What attacks look like
│   ├── adversary-classes.md  # Who might attack
│   ├── ai-agent-threats.md   # AI-specific attacks
│   └── attack-vectors.md     # How attacks happen
├── controls/                 # What to check
│   ├── general.md            # GEN-01 to GEN-05
│   ├── control-plane.md      # CP-01 to CP-04
│   ├── identity-session.md   # ID-01 to ID-03
│   └── ...                   # Other domains
├── implementation/           # How to deploy securely
│   ├── quickstart.md         # Fast setup
│   └── l1-deployment.md      # Level-specific guides
├── compliance/               # How to prove security
│   └── evidence-collection.md
└── tools/                    # Automation
    ├── ossasai-audit.sh      # Audit script
    └── ossasai-report.py     # Report generator

Standards Alignment

OSSASAI builds on established frameworks:

Standard What We Took From It
OWASP ASVS Control structure, verification approach
NIST 800-53 Risk categorization, control families
CIS Controls Prioritization, implementation groups
MITRE ATT&CK Threat taxonomy, attack patterns

FAQ

"Do AI agent developers need to implement OSSASAI?"

No. OSSASAI documents existing security features. If an AI agent already has authentication, sandboxing, and logging, OSSASAI just provides a way to verify and communicate that.

"Is this only for OpenClaw?"

No. OSSASAI is generic. OpenClaw has a profile (OCSAS), but you can create profiles for any AI agent platform.

"Who maintains this?"

OSSASAI is community-driven. Contributions welcome — see Contributing.

"Is this an official standard?"

Not yet. It's a community framework. We align with official standards (NIST, OWASP, CIS) where possible.


Contributing

We welcome:

  • Framework improvements → Issues and PRs
  • New profiles → For other AI agent platforms
  • Threat research → New attack patterns and mitigations
  • Documentation → Clearer explanations, more examples

License

Apache License 2.0


OSSASAI v0.1.0 | Security framework for AI agents

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OSSASAI is a security framework for AI agents — the bots that can run commands, browse the web, and access your files. It tells you what security controls to look for and how to verify they're working.

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