RCE in Electron
CVE-2026-70609
Electron is a framework for writing cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Prior to 39.8.7, 40.9.0, 41.2.0, and 42.0.0-beta.1, the mode option of webContents.openDevTools() was not sanitized before use by the DevTools frontend. If an attacker can influence this value, script under their control may run in the DevTools context, which in unsandboxed configurations has access to Node.js, including when untrusted input reaches the mode argument of openDevTools() or untrusted content calls openDevTools() on a webview it embeds. This issue is fixed in 39.8.7, 40.9.0, 41.2.0, and 42.0.0-beta.1.
Vulnerability class: RCE (Remote Code Execution)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.7 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (45.0th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 45th percentile — 45.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: -0.000
Affected products
- Electron — versions < 39.8.7, >= 40.0.0-alpha.1, < 40.9.0, >= 41.0.0-alpha.1, < 41.2.0
- Electronjs Electron — versions 42.0.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/electron/electron/security/advisories/GHSA-4f78-qhmw-8j8m (Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/electron/electron/pull/50665 (Patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/electron/electron/pull/50666 (Patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/electron/electron/pull/50667 (Patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/electron/electron/pull/50668 (Patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/electron/electron/commit/04614eed17986bddc43eb509ec870424ee6a47d1 (Patch)
- github.com/electron/electron/commit/2046ae87731d80a7b535512ae19acb529e10e33b (Patch)
- github.com/electron/electron/commit/969741f9f847c5c583f6bbc63ca22549dbd954ce (Patch)
- github.com/electron/electron/commit/efc4d3c6b6f1c04f658ca0d9d2512dcfe78eb7ba (Patch)
- github.com/electron/electron/releases/tag/v39.8.7 (Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-70609?
- CVE-2026-70609 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Electron, classified under Code Injection. CVSS score: 5.7/10. Published 2026-08-05.
- How severe is CVE-2026-70609?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.7 out of 10.