OpenClaw browser navigation guard allowed non-network URL schemes, enabling authenticated browser-tool users to access file:// local files

Impact

assertBrowserNavigationAllowed() validated only http:/https: network targets but implicitly allowed other schemes. An authenticated gateway user could navigate browser sessions to file:// URLs and read local files via browser snapshot/extraction flows.

Affected Component

• src/browser/navigation-guard.ts

Technical Reproduction

1. Authenticate to a gateway that has browser tooling enabled.
2. Invoke browser navigation with a file:// URL (for example file:///etc/passwd).
3. Read page content through browser snapshot/extract actions.

Demonstrated Impact

An attacker with valid gateway credentials and browser-tool access can exfiltrate local files readable by the OpenClaw process user (for example config/secrets in that user context).

Environment

• OpenClaw browser tool enabled
• Attacker has authenticated access capable of invoking browser actions

Remediation Advice

Reject unsupported navigation schemes and allow only explicitly safe non-network URLs. OpenClaw now blocks non-network schemes (such as file:, data:, and javascript:) while preserving about:blank.

Affected Packages / Versions

• Package: openclaw (npm)
• Affected versions: <= 2026.2.19-2
• Patched in planned next release: 2026.2.21

Fix Commit(s)

• 220bd95eff6838234e8b4b711f86d4565e16e401

Release Process Note

patched_versions is pre-set to the planned next release (2026.2.21) so once npm 2026.2.21 is published, the advisory can be published directly.

OpenClaw thanks @q1uf3ng for reporting.