electron: Protection Mechanism Failure
CVE-2026-70608 is a high-severity protection mechanism failure vulnerability in electron, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected electron versions: < 39.8.10; >= 40.0.0-alpha.1, < 41.10.3; >= 42.0.0-alpha.1, < 42.0.1. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.43% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of electron you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electron | electron | < 39.8.10; >= 40.0.0-alpha.1, < 41.10.3; >= 42.0.0-alpha.1, < 42.0.1 | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- LowSome restricted data can be read.
- Integrity
- LowLimited modification of data is possible.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N. Scored by CNA (github.com).
Official description
Electron is a framework for writing cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Prior to 39.8.10, 41.10.3, and 42.0.1, a sandboxed iframe without the allow-popups keyword could still open a new window or trigger setWindowOpenHandler with no user interaction because new-window navigations taking the OpenURL path did not apply the iframe sandbox popup restriction. Apps that embed untrusted content in sandboxed iframes and rely on the absence of allow-popups to prevent window creation are affected, while apps that deny window creation in setWindowOpenHandler or do not embed untrusted content in sandboxed iframes are not affected. This issue is fixed in 39.8.10, 41.10.3, and 42.0.1.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Protection Mechanism Failure
The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- github.com/electron/electron/commit/3ff23c52ab364a0afc6ab5bd7851291d3159de57
- github.com/electron/electron/commit/57cbe329c4ae8aab5ac5ebdcb588adc9a11de0d3
- github.com/electron/electron/commit/68cf8b7d9122260f6b534a69a82c701a56cf159f
- github.com/electron/electron/pull/51437Issue Tracking
- github.com/electron/electron/pull/51438Issue Tracking
- github.com/electron/electron/pull/51439Issue Tracking
- github.com/electron/electron/releases/tag/v39.8.10Release Notes
- github.com/electron/electron/releases/tag/v41.10.3Release Notes
- github.com/electron/electron/releases/tag/v42.0.1Release Notes
Other vulnerabilities in electron
- 7.4 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Protection Mechanism Failure vulnerabilities
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
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