Using javascript to open a shell

Question

Is there a reliable crossbrowser way to open up a shell using javascript (e.g. explorer.exe)?

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 15 '10 at 19:55

5

This is not possible as it would be a (gaping) security risk.

answered Sep 15 '10 at 19:55

Jacob Relkin

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Disregarding the gaping security risk it would be awfully convenient for me ;) – Dustin Hodges Sep 15 '10 at 19:57
@kustnodi, Too bad. The browser environment is meant to be sandboxed. – Jacob Relkin Sep 15 '10 at 19:59

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 15 '10 at 19:55

1

No, that is not possible for security reasons. Accessing client machine is the problme here !

answered Sep 15 '10 at 19:55

Sarfraz

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score 0 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:48

If you have access to the client machine, and the client machines are all Windows XP or later, there actually is a way by defining a custom protocol as described in this SO question (Mozillazone article here).

That way, you can create links like my_custom_protocol://helloworld.txt that cause an explorer window to be opened in Windows.

This potentially opens a (however remote) security hole, as connecting a custom protocol to explorer.exe could be used to send arbitrary parameters to that executable. Make sure you are aware of the security implications; depending on your situation, it might work for you, though.

Using javascript to open a shell

3 Answers3