CVE-2018-15685: Electron Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hv9c-qwqg-qj3v
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-1188
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-15685 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default) affecting Electron libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves electron webpreferences vulnerability can be used to perform remote code execution. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.7.16, 1.8.8, 2.0.8, 3.0.0-beta.7.

CVE-2018-15685 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-15685
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hv9c-qwqg-qj3v
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default
Affected Product Electron
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/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 None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-15685

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Electron 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 fixed: 1.7.16 
npm install electron@1.7.16
electron fixed: 1.8.8 
npm install electron@1.8.8
electron fixed: 2.0.8 
npm install electron@2.0.8
electron fixed: 3.0.0-beta.7 
npm install electron@3.0.0-beta.7
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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-15685, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls electron

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Electron in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.7.16), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls electron 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-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default, where the product initializes or sets a resource with a default that is intended to be changed by the product's installer, administrator, or maintainer, but the default is not secure. In Electron, 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

GitHub Electron 1.7.15, 1.8.7, 2.0.7, and 3.0.0-beta.6, in certain scenarios involving IFRAME elements and "nativeWindowOpen: true" or "sandbox: true" options, is affected by a webPreferences vulnerability that can be leveraged to perform remote code execution. More information to determine if you are impacted can be found on the [electron blog](https://electronjs.org/blog/web-preferences-fix). ## Recommendation Upgrade Electron to >=3.0.0-beta.7, >=2.0.8, >=1.8.8, or >=1.7.16.

CVE-2018-15685 Affected Electron Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.7.161.8.82.0.83.0.0-beta.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
electron
npm/electron
npm
≥ 1.7.0
< 1.7.16
1.7.16
electron
npm/electron
npm
≥ 1.8.0
< 1.8.8
1.8.8
electron
npm/electron
npm
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.0.8
2.0.8
electron
npm/electron
npm
≥ 3.0.0-beta.1
< 3.0.0-beta.7
3.0.0-beta.7

References

NVD — CVE-2018-15685 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-15685
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/519a02d8d4d28e8a467acb40fb26172a80c9454f
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/80221e52d93a96ea704cb6748ead669c55cff504
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/bab968ca776be28791e4dddfd50c86bd5fae62fa
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/ef0a6d9a1c96efc4657c6dd3a6624eba969f095b
Electron Security Information SECURITY
https://electronjs.org/blog/web-preferences-fix
Electron Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/electron/electron
Electron Security Information SECURITY
https://www.contrastsecurity.com/security-influencers/cve-2018-15685
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45272 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45272
www.npmjs.com/advisories/732 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/732

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-15685?
CVE-2018-15685 is a security vulnerability in Electron involving Electron webPreferences vulnerability can be used to perform remote code execution under CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default.
Which Electron versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.7.16, 1.8.8, 2.0.8, 3.0.0-beta.7 across affected packages: electron.
What version fixes CVE-2018-15685?
Upgrading to 1.7.16, 1.8.8, 2.0.8, 3.0.0-beta.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is electron affected?
Yes, electron is affected in releases prior to 1.7.16, 1.8.8, 2.0.8, 3.0.0-beta.7. Upgrade your dependency to 1.7.16, 1.8.8, 2.0.8, 3.0.0-beta.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-15685?
CVE-2018-15685 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-15685?
CVE-2018-15685 is classified under CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default (The product initializes or sets a resource with a default that is intended to be changed by the product's installer, administrator, or maintainer, but the default is not secure.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2018-15685?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls electron'. 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-hv9c-qwqg-qj3v",
  "modified" : "2022-08-02T18:03:09Z",
  "published" : "2018-08-23T19:12:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-15685" ],
  "summary" : "Electron webPreferences vulnerability can be used to perform remote code execution",
  "details" : "GitHub Electron 1.7.15, 1.8.7, 2.0.7, and 3.0.0-beta.6, in certain scenarios involving IFRAME elements and \"nativeWindowOpen: true\" or \"sandbox: true\" options, is affected by a webPreferences vulnerability that can be leveraged to perform remote code execution.\n\nMore information to determine if you are impacted can be found on the [electron blog](https://electronjs.org/blog/web-preferences-fix).\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpgrade Electron to >=3.0.0-beta.7, >=2.0.8, >=1.8.8, or >=1.7.16.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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  } ],
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      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-15685"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/519a02d8d4d28e8a467acb40fb26172a80c9454f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/80221e52d93a96ea704cb6748ead669c55cff504"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/bab968ca776be28791e4dddfd50c86bd5fae62fa"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/ef0a6d9a1c96efc4657c6dd3a6624eba969f095b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://electronjs.org/blog/web-preferences-fix"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.contrastsecurity.com/security-influencers/cve-2018-15685"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45272"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/732"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1188" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:41:01Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}