browse-mcp: Arbitrary file write via unconfined download and state paths
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
browse-mcp is a Playwright-based headless-browser MCP server for MCP-capable agents. Prior to 0.8.2, browser_download writes a fetched response body to join(save_dir, filename) without validating the caller-controlled save_dir, while browser_save_state and browser_load_state honor a caller-controlled path unchanged. A malicious MCP client, or an autonomous agent steered by indirect prompt injection on a visited page, can choose an arbitrary save_dir or state path and a URL whose response body becomes attacker-controlled file contents, allowing writes to any path the process can reach, including ~/.bashrc, autostart entries, or cron files, and potentially leading to host code execution. The force_fetch fallback also uses a raw fetch() that bypasses the BROWSE_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS origin fence. This issue is fixed in version 0.8.2.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| That1Drifter | browse-mcp | before 0.8.2 | 0.8.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | browse-mcp (npm) | before 0.8.2 | 0.8.2 | Patch available | GHSA-m9mq-7m7q-xc6p |
- browse-mcp VendorThat1Drifter Affected before 0.8.2 Fixed in 0.8.2 Patch available CNA
- browse-mcp (npm) Vendor— Affected before 0.8.2 Fixed in 0.8.2 Patch available GHSA-m9mq-7m7q-xc6p
Remediation
- Fix · CNA browse-mcp (That1Drifter) Fixed in 0.8.2
- Fix · GHSA-m9mq-7m7q-xc6p browse-mcp (npm) Fixed in 0.8.2 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-55557
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-m9mq-7m7q-xc6p
References
Other 6
- https://github.com/That1Drifter/browse-mcp/security/advisories/GHSA-m9mq-7m7q-xc6p
- https://github.com/That1Drifter/browse-mcp/pull/58
- https://github.com/That1Drifter/browse-mcp/commit/5352a4a56f626254b445bfa07e4bb48c5aad15c1
- https://github.com/That1Drifter/browse-mcp/blob/v0.8.2/CHANGELOG.md#082---2026-06-13
- https://github.com/That1Drifter/browse-mcp/releases/tag/v0.8.2
- https://github.com/That1Drifter/browse-mcp
Sources
- CVE-2026-55557 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-55557 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-m9mq-7m7q-xc6p · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences