diff --git a/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.test.ts b/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.test.ts
index 26e6e147159..34b2e0f1890 100644
--- a/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.test.ts
@@ -128,6 +128,18 @@ describe("browser navigation guard", () => {
     expect(lookupFn).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("allows hostname navigation when the default strict policy object is present", async () => {
+    const lookupFn = createLookupFn("93.184.216.34");
+    await expect(
+      assertBrowserNavigationAllowed({
+        url: "https://example.com",
+        lookupFn,
+        ssrfPolicy: {},
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+    expect(lookupFn).toHaveBeenCalledWith("example.com", { all: true });
+  });
+
   it("allows explicitly allowed hostnames in strict mode", async () => {
     const lookupFn = createLookupFn("93.184.216.34");
     await expect(
@@ -300,8 +312,11 @@ describe("browser navigation guard", () => {
     ).resolves.toBeUndefined();
   });
 
-  it("treats default browser SSRF mode as requiring redirect-hop inspection", () => {
-    expect(requiresInspectableBrowserNavigationRedirects()).toBe(true);
+  it("requires redirect-hop inspection only in explicit strict mode", () => {
+    expect(requiresInspectableBrowserNavigationRedirects()).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      requiresInspectableBrowserNavigationRedirects({ dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork: false }),
+    ).toBe(true);
     expect(requiresInspectableBrowserNavigationRedirects({ allowPrivateNetwork: true })).toBe(
       false,
     );
diff --git a/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.ts b/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.ts
index 7005b1c18bd..5367c37fb6f 100644
--- a/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.ts
+++ b/extensions/browser/src/browser/navigation-guard.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ export function withBrowserNavigationPolicy(
 }
 
 export function requiresInspectableBrowserNavigationRedirects(ssrfPolicy?: SsrFPolicy): boolean {
-  return !isPrivateNetworkAllowedByPolicy(ssrfPolicy);
+  return ssrfPolicy?.dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork === false;
 }
 
 export function requiresInspectableBrowserNavigationRedirectsForUrl(
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ export async function assertBrowserNavigationAllowed(
   // the same address that passed policy checks.
   if (
     opts.ssrfPolicy &&
+    opts.ssrfPolicy.dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork === false &&
     !isPrivateNetworkAllowedByPolicy(opts.ssrfPolicy) &&
     !isIpLiteralHostname(parsed.hostname) &&
     !isExplicitlyAllowedBrowserHostname(parsed.hostname, opts.ssrfPolicy)
diff --git a/extensions/browser/src/browser/routes/tabs.attach-only.test.ts b/extensions/browser/src/browser/routes/tabs.attach-only.test.ts
index dcb4201e33b..73f7fb31a40 100644
--- a/extensions/browser/src/browser/routes/tabs.attach-only.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/browser/src/browser/routes/tabs.attach-only.test.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ describe("browser tab routes attachOnly loopback profiles", () => {
           {
             id: "PAGE-1",
             title: "WordPress",
-            url: "https://example.test/wp-login.php",
+            url: "https://example.com/wp-login.php",
             webSocketDebuggerUrl: "ws://127.0.0.1:9222/devtools/page/PAGE-1",
             type: "page",
           },
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ describe("browser tab routes attachOnly loopback profiles", () => {
         {
           targetId: "PAGE-1",
           title: "WordPress",
-          url: "",
+          url: "https://example.com/wp-login.php",
           wsUrl: "ws://127.0.0.1:9222/devtools/page/PAGE-1",
           type: "page",
         },
diff --git a/extensions/browser/src/browser/server-context.remote-profile-tab-ops.fallback.test.ts b/extensions/browser/src/browser/server-context.remote-profile-tab-ops.fallback.test.ts
index 7f30849c820..9de51a1a660 100644
--- a/extensions/browser/src/browser/server-context.remote-profile-tab-ops.fallback.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/browser/src/browser/server-context.remote-profile-tab-ops.fallback.test.ts
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ describe("browser remote profile fallback and attachOnly behavior", () => {
   it("fails closed for remote tab opens in strict mode without Playwright", async () => {
     vi.spyOn(deps.pwAiModule, "getPwAiModule").mockResolvedValue(null);
     const { state, remote, fetchMock } = deps.createRemoteRouteHarness();
-    state.resolved.ssrfPolicy = {};
+    state.resolved.ssrfPolicy = { dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork: false };
 
     await expect(remote.openTab("https://example.com")).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(
       deps.InvalidBrowserNavigationUrlError,