Auth bypass in Electron
CVE-2021-39184
Electron is a framework for writing cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. A vulnerability in versions prior to 11.5.0, 12.1.0, and 13.3.0 allows a sandboxed renderer to request a "thumbnail" image of an arbitrary file on the user's system. The thumbnail can potentially include significant parts of the original file, including textual data in many cases. Versions 15.0.0-alpha.10, 14.0.0, 13.3.0, 12.1.0, and 11.5.0 all contain a fix for the vulnerability. Two workarounds aside from upgrading are available. One may make the vulnerability significantly more difficult for an attacker to exploit by enabling `contextIsolation` in one's app. One may also disable the functionality of the `createThumbnailFromPath` API if one does not need it.
EPSS: 0.011 (62.4th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.8 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N.
Affected products
- Electron — versions < 11.5.0, >= 12.0.0, < 12.1.0, >= 13.0.0, < 13.3.0
- Electronjs Electron — versions 14.0.0, 15.0.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Third Party Advisory, Mitigation)
- security-advisories@github.com (Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_MISC)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-39184?
- CVE-2021-39184 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Electron, classified under Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere. CVSS score: 6.8/10. Published 2021-10-12.
- How severe is CVE-2021-39184?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.8 out of 10.