CVE-2023-39956: Electron is a framework which lets you write cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Electron apps that are launched as co...

Description

Electron is a framework which lets you write cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Electron apps that are launched as command line executables are impacted. Specifically this issue can only be exploited if the following conditions are met: 1. The app is launched with an attacker-controlled working directory and 2. The attacker has the ability to write files to that working directory. This makes the risk quite low, in fact normally issues of this kind are considered outside of our threat model as similar to Chromium we exclude Physically Local Attacks but given the ability for this issue to bypass certain protections like ASAR Integrity it is being treated with higher importance. This issue has been fixed in versions:`26.0.0-beta.13`, `25.4.1`, `24.7.1`, `23.3.13`, and `22.3.19`. There are no app side workarounds, users must update to a patched version of Electron.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.6/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L

EPSS Probability

0.56%

42.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-94

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Electronjs	Electron	< 22.3.9	—
Electronjs	Electron	>= 23.0.0, < 23.3.13	—
Electronjs	Electron	>= 24.0.0, < 24.7.1	—
Electronjs	Electron	>= 25.0.0, < 25.5.0	—
Electronjs	Electron	26.0.0	Alpha1

References

https://github.com/electron/electron/security/advisories/GHSA-7x97-j373-85x5Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/electron/electron/security/advisories/GHSA-7x97-j373-85x5Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Sep 6, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-39956?

Electron is a framework which lets you write cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Electron apps that are launched as command line executables are impacted. Specifically this issue can only be exploited if the following conditions are met: 1. The app is launched with an attacker-controlled working directory and 2. The attacker has the ability to write files to that working directory. This makes the risk quite low, in fact normally issues of this kind are considered outside of our threat model as similar to Chromium we exclude Physically Local Attacks but given the ability for this issue to bypass certain protections like ASAR Integrity it is being treated with higher importance. This issue has been fixed in versions:`26.0.0-beta.13`, `25.4.1`, `24.7.1`, `23.3.13`, and `22.3.19`. There are no app side workarounds, users must update to a patched version of Electron.

How severe is CVE-2023-39956?

CVE-2023-39956 has a CVSS score of 6.6/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.56% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-39956?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.