CVE-2026-102672: Electron Local Race Condition Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vv43-5jgx-7qv8
CVSS 6.7
CWE-367
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-102672 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.7) local race condition vulnerability (CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) affecting Electron libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves local race condition in squirrel.mac update installation on macos. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 39.8.10, 41.10.5, 42.0.0-beta.2.

CVE-2026-102672 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-102672
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vv43-5jgx-7qv8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.7
CWE Classification CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affected Product Electron
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.7

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2026-102672

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: 39.8.10
npm install electron@39.8.10
electron fixed: 41.10.5
npm install electron@41.10.5
electron fixed: 42.0.0-beta.2
npm install electron@42.0.0-beta.2
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-2026-102672, 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 39.8.10), 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-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition, where the product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check. 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

### Impact On macOS, Electron bundles the Squirrel.Mac auto-update framework, whose privileged `ShipIt` helper performs the final step of an update as root. A local attacker could cause that helper to overwrite a different application's files, as root, instead of the app that started the update. Exploitation requires local access to the machine. Apps are only affected on macOS if they ship Squirrel.Mac-based auto-updates. Apps on other platforms, or that do not use Squirrel.Mac auto-updates, are not affected. ### Workarounds There are no app side workarounds, you must update to a patched version of Electron. ### Fixed Versions * `42.0.0-beta.2` * `41.10.5` * `39.8.10` ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email us at [security@electronjs.org](mailto:security@electronjs.org)

CVE-2026-102672 Affected Electron Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
39.8.1041.10.542.0.0-beta.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
electron
npm
< 39.8.10
39.8.10
electron
npm
≥ 40.0.0-alpha.1
< 41.10.5
41.10.5
electron
npm
≥ 42.0.0-alpha.1
< 42.0.0-beta.2
42.0.0-beta.2

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-102672?
CVE-2026-102672 is a security vulnerability in Electron involving Local race condition in Squirrel.Mac update installation on macOS under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition.
Which Electron versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 39.8.10, 41.10.5, 42.0.0-beta.2 across affected packages: electron.
What version fixes CVE-2026-102672?
Upgrading to 39.8.10, 41.10.5, 42.0.0-beta.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is electron affected?
Yes, electron is affected in releases prior to 39.8.10, 41.10.5, 42.0.0-beta.2. Upgrade your dependency to 39.8.10, 41.10.5, 42.0.0-beta.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-102672?
CVE-2026-102672 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.7 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-102672?
CVE-2026-102672 is classified under CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-102672?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-vv43-5jgx-7qv8",
  "modified" : "2026-09-29T18:06:59Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-29T18:06:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-102672" ],
  "summary" : "Electron: Local race condition in Squirrel.Mac update installation on macOS",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nOn macOS, Electron bundles the Squirrel.Mac auto-update framework, whose privileged `ShipIt` helper performs the final step of an update as root. A local attacker could cause that helper to overwrite a different application's files, as root, instead of the app that started the update. Exploitation requires local access to the machine.\n\nApps are only affected on macOS if they ship Squirrel.Mac-based auto-updates. Apps on other platforms, or that do not use Squirrel.Mac auto-updates, are not affected.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nThere are no app side workarounds, you must update to a patched version of Electron.\n\n### Fixed Versions\n\n* `42.0.0-beta.2`\n* `41.10.5`\n* `39.8.10`\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email us at [security@electronjs.org](mailto:security@electronjs.org)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "electron"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "39.8.10"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "electron"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "40.0.0-alpha.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "41.10.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "electron"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "42.0.0-alpha.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "42.0.0-beta.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/security/advisories/GHSA-vv43-5jgx-7qv8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/50745"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/01faabfc250801a980fc94d64608046c67fc1cd9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/15e2928a5c5f01759107b414010e220d90d59cef"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/a0f9ff4cc0340545008424232d49caadd9c0c767"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/commit/b8f25c4cedb2e0f5f475912b709aba19c57c26be"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/releases/tag/v39.8.10"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/releases/tag/v41.10.5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/releases/tag/v42.0.0-beta.2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-367" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-29T18:06:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}