CVE-2024-39698: Electron updater Electron-updater Code Signing Bypass On Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9jxc-qjr9-vjxq
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-154 CWE-295
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-39698 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) electron-updater code signing bypass on vulnerability (CWE-154: Improper Neutralization of Variable Name Delimiters) affecting Electron updater libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves electron-updater code signing bypass on windows. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.3.0-alpha.6.

CVE-2024-39698 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-39698
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9jxc-qjr9-vjxq
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-154: Improper Neutralization of Variable Name Delimiters
Affected Product Electron updater
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2024-39698

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Electron updater dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

electron-updater fixed: 6.3.0-alpha.6 
npm install electron-updater@6.3.0-alpha.6
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls electron-updater

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2024-39698, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls electron-updater

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Electron updater in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.3.0-alpha.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls electron-updater command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-154: Improper Neutralization of Variable Name Delimiters, where the product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as variable name delimiters when they are sent to a downstream component. In Electron updater, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Observations The file `packages/electron-updater/src/windowsExecutableCodeSignatureVerifier.ts` implements the signature validation routine for Electron applications on Windows. It executes the following command in a new shell (`process.env.ComSpec` on Windows, usually `C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe`): https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/blob/140e2f0eb0df79c2a46e35024e96d0563355fc89/packages/electron-updater/src/windowsExecutableCodeSignatureVerifier.ts#L35-L41 Because of the surrounding shell, a first pass by `cmd.exe` expands any environment variable found in command-line above. ### Exploitation This creates a situation where `verifySignature()` can be tricked into validating the certificate of a different file than the one that was just downloaded. If the step is successful, the malicious update will be executed even if its signature is invalid. ### Impact This attack assumes a compromised update manifest (server compromise, Man-in-the-Middle attack if fetched over HTTP, Cross-Site Scripting to point the application to a malicious updater server, etc.). ### Patch This vulnerability was patched in #8295, by comparing the path in the output of `Get-AuthenticodeSignature` with the intended one. The patch is available starting from 6.3.0-alpha.6.

CVE-2024-39698 Affected Electron updater Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.3.0-alpha.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
electron-updater
npm/electron-updater
npm
< 6.3.0-alpha.6
6.3.0-alpha.6

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/security/advisories/GHSA-9jxc-qjr9-vjxq
NVD — CVE-2024-39698 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-39698
Electron updater Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/pull/8295
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/commit/ac2e6a25aa491c1ef5167a552c19fc2085cd427f
Electron updater Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder
Electron updater Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/blob/140e2f0eb0df79c2a46e35024e96d0563355fc89/packages/electron-updater/src/windowsExecutableCodeSignatureVerifier.ts#L35-L41

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-39698?
CVE-2024-39698 is a security vulnerability in Electron updater involving electron-updater Code Signing Bypass on Windows under CWE-154: Improper Neutralization of Variable Name Delimiters.
Which Electron updater versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.3.0-alpha.6 across affected packages: electron-updater.
What version fixes CVE-2024-39698?
Upgrading to 6.3.0-alpha.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is electron-updater affected?
Yes, electron-updater is affected in releases prior to 6.3.0-alpha.6. Upgrade your dependency to 6.3.0-alpha.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-39698?
CVE-2024-39698 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-39698?
CVE-2024-39698 is classified under CWE-154: Improper Neutralization of Variable Name Delimiters (The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as variable name delimiters when they are sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2024-39698?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls electron-updater'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9jxc-qjr9-vjxq",
  "modified" : "2024-07-12T19:20:30Z",
  "published" : "2024-07-09T17:48:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-39698" ],
  "summary" : "electron-updater Code Signing Bypass on Windows",
  "details" : "### Observations\nThe file `packages/electron-updater/src/windowsExecutableCodeSignatureVerifier.ts` implements the signature validation routine for Electron applications on Windows. It executes the following command in a new shell (`process.env.ComSpec` on Windows, usually `C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe`):\n\nhttps://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/blob/140e2f0eb0df79c2a46e35024e96d0563355fc89/packages/electron-updater/src/windowsExecutableCodeSignatureVerifier.ts#L35-L41\n\nBecause of the surrounding shell, a first pass by `cmd.exe` expands any environment variable found in command-line above.\n\n### Exploitation\n\nThis creates a situation where `verifySignature()` can be tricked into validating the certificate of a different file than the one that was just downloaded. If the step is successful, the malicious update will be executed even if its signature is invalid. \n\n### Impact\n\nThis attack assumes a compromised update manifest (server compromise, Man-in-the-Middle attack if fetched over HTTP, Cross-Site Scripting to point the application to a malicious updater server, etc.).\n\n### Patch\n\nThis vulnerability was patched in #8295, by comparing the path in the output of `Get-AuthenticodeSignature` with the intended one. The patch is available starting from 6.3.0-alpha.6.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "electron-updater"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.3.0-alpha.6"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 6.3.0-alpha.5"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/security/advisories/GHSA-9jxc-qjr9-vjxq"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-39698"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/pull/8295"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/commit/ac2e6a25aa491c1ef5167a552c19fc2085cd427f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/blob/140e2f0eb0df79c2a46e35024e96d0563355fc89/packages/electron-updater/src/windowsExecutableCodeSignatureVerifier.ts#L35-L41"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-154", "CWE-295" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-07-09T17:48:21Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-07-09T18:15:10Z"
  }
}