CVE-2017-16151: Electron Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4w88-rjj3-x7wp
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-16151 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Electron libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves chromium remote code execution in electron. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.14, 1.7.8.

CVE-2017-16151 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-16151
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4w88-rjj3-x7wp
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Electron
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
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-2017-16151

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: 1.6.14 
npm install electron@1.6.14
electron fixed: 1.7.8 
npm install electron@1.7.8
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-2017-16151, 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 1.6.14), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. 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

Affected versions of `ElectronJS` are susceptible to a remote code execution vulnerability that occurs when an affected application access remote content, even if the [sandbox option](https://electron.atom.io/docs/api/sandbox-option) is enabled. ## Recommendation Update to electron version 1.7.8 or later.

CVE-2017-16151 Affected Electron Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.141.7.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
electron
npm/electron
npm
< 1.6.14
1.6.14
electron
npm/electron
npm
≥ 1.7.0
< 1.7.8
1.7.8

References

NVD — CVE-2017-16151 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16151
Electron Security Information SECURITY
https://electron.atom.io/blog/2017/09/27/chromium-rce-vulnerability-fix
Electron Security Information SECURITY
https://electronjs.org/blog/chromium-rce-vulnerability
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4w88-rjj3-x7wp
www.npmjs.com/advisories/539 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/539

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-16151?
CVE-2017-16151 is a security vulnerability in Electron involving Chromium Remote Code Execution in electron under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Electron versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.14, 1.7.8 across affected packages: electron.
What version fixes CVE-2017-16151?
Upgrading to 1.6.14, 1.7.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is electron affected?
Yes, electron is affected in releases prior to 1.6.14, 1.7.8. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.14, 1.7.8 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-16151?
CVE-2017-16151 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-16151?
CVE-2017-16151 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2017-16151?
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-4w88-rjj3-x7wp",
  "modified" : "2023-09-13T19:15:15Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-24T20:04:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-16151" ],
  "summary" : "Chromium Remote Code Execution in electron",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `ElectronJS` are susceptible to a remote code execution vulnerability that occurs when an affected application access remote content, even if the [sandbox option](https://electron.atom.io/docs/api/sandbox-option) is enabled.\n\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to electron version 1.7.8 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "electron"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.6.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "electron"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.7.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16151"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://electron.atom.io/blog/2017/09/27/chromium-rce-vulnerability-fix"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://electronjs.org/blog/chromium-rce-vulnerability"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4w88-rjj3-x7wp"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/539"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T20:59:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}