CVE-2016-10534: Electron packager SSL Validation Defaults To False Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc
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CWE-295
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10534 is a LOW ssl validation defaults to false vulnerability (CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation) affecting Electron packager libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves ssl validation defaults to false in electron-packager. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.0.0.

CVE-2016-10534 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10534
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation
Affected Product Electron packager
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2016-10534

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Electron packager 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-packager fixed: 7.0.0 
npm install electron-packager@7.0.0
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-packager

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-10534, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls electron-packager

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Electron packager in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.0.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls electron-packager 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-295: Improper Certificate Validation, where the product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. In Electron packager, 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

Affected versions of `electron-packager` configure the generated application to disable SSL certificate verification by default. This could allow an attacker with a privileged network position to launch a Man In The Middle (MITM) attack on the install process, intercepting the step where electron-packager downloads Electron for supported target platforms and architectures, and replacing the valid download with a tampered malicious one. This only affects users using the electron-packager CLI. The strict-ssl option defaults to true for the node.js API. ## Recommendation 1. Update to version 7.0.0 or later. 2. Delete the `electron-download` cache folder, which is by default located at `~/.electron`.

CVE-2016-10534 Affected Electron packager Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
electron-packager
npm/electron-packager
npm
≥ 5.2.1
< 7.0.0
7.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10534 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10534
Electron packager Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-packager/issues/333
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc
www.npmjs.com/advisories/104 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/104

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10534?
CVE-2016-10534 is a security vulnerability in Electron packager involving SSL Validation Defaults to False in electron-packager under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation.
Which Electron packager versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.0.0 across affected packages: electron-packager.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10534?
Upgrading to 7.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is electron-packager affected?
Yes, electron-packager is affected in releases prior to 7.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 7.0.0 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10534?
CVE-2016-10534 is classified under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation (The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2016-10534?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls electron-packager'. 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-q43m-ffwr-rpcc",
  "modified" : "2021-01-08T18:18:07Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-18T23:58:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10534" ],
  "summary" : "SSL Validation Defaults to False in electron-packager",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `electron-packager` configure the generated application to disable SSL certificate verification by default. \n\nThis could allow an attacker with a privileged network position to launch a Man In The Middle (MITM) attack on the install process, intercepting the step where electron-packager downloads Electron for supported target platforms and architectures, and replacing the valid download with a tampered malicious one.\n\nThis only affects users using the electron-packager CLI. The strict-ssl option defaults to true for the node.js API.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\n1. Update to version 7.0.0 or later.\n2. Delete the `electron-download` cache folder, which is by default located at `~/.electron`.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "electron-packager"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.2.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10534"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-packager/issues/333"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/104"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-295" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:50:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}