CVE-2021-39184: Electron Electron's Sandboxed Renderers Can Obtain Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2021-39184 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.8) electron's sandboxed renderers can obtain vulnerability (CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) affecting Electron libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves electron's sandboxed renderers can obtain thumbnails of arbitrary files through the nativeimage api. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 11.5.0, 12.1.0, 13.3.0.
CVE-2021-39184 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 6.8
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:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2021-39184
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.
npm install electron@11.5.0npm install electron@12.1.0npm install electron@13.3.0Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
npm ls electronHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-39184, inspect your project dependencies using npm:
npm ls electronAnalyze 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 11.5.0), 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-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere, where the product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource. 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
CVE-2021-39184 Affected Electron Versions
3 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
electron
|
npm |
< 11.5.0
|
11.5.0
|
|
electron
|
npm |
≥ 12.0.0
< 12.1.0
|
12.1.0
|
|
electron
|
npm |
≥ 13.0.0
< 13.3.0
|
13.3.0
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-39184?
Which Electron versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-39184?
Is electron affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-39184?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-39184?
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2021-39184?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-mpjm-v997-c4h4",
"modified" : "2022-08-11T16:56:02Z",
"published" : "2021-10-12T21:59:13Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-39184" ],
"summary" : "Electron's sandboxed renderers can obtain thumbnails of arbitrary files through the nativeImage API",
"details" : "### Impact\nThis vulnerability allows a sandboxed renderer to request a \"thumbnail\" image of an arbitrary file on the user's system. The thumbnail can potentially include significant parts of the original file, including textual data in many cases.\n\nAll current stable versions of Electron are affected.\n\n### Patches\nThis was fixed with #30728, and the following Electron versions contain the fix:\n\n- 15.0.0-alpha.10\n- 14.0.0\n- 13.3.0\n- 12.1.0\n- 11.5.0\n\n### Workarounds\nIf your app enables `contextIsolation`, this vulnerability is significantly more difficult for an attacker to exploit.\n\nFurther, if your app does not depend on the `createThumbnailFromPath` API, then you can simply disable the functionality. In the main process, before the 'ready' event:\n```js\ndelete require('electron').nativeImage.createThumbnailFromPath\n```\n\n### For more information\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:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "npm",
"name" : "electron"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "11.5.0"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "npm",
"name" : "electron"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "12.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "12.1.0"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "npm",
"name" : "electron"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "13.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "13.3.0"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/security/advisories/GHSA-mpjm-v997-c4h4"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-39184"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/30728"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/30728/commits/8fed645bd671f359ee52d806c075ec4e07eda17f"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/electron/electron"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-668", "CWE-862" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-10-12T18:54:44Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-10-12T19:15:00Z"
}
}