CVE-2023-39956
Electron: Out-of-package code execution when launched with arbitrary cwd
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.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Electron: Out-of-package code execution when launched with arbitrary cwd
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.
- Record
CVE-2023-39956- CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-2462
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.
- Record
EUVD-2023-2462- CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-7x97-j373-85x5
Electron vulnerable to out-of-package code execution when launched with arbitrary cwd
Impact
Apps that are launched as command line executables are impacted. E.g. if your app exposes itself in the path as myapp --help
Specifically this issue can only be exploited if the following conditions are met:
- Your app is launched with an attacker-controlled working directory
- 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. Please bear this in mind when reporting similar issues in the future.
Workarounds
There are no app side workarounds, you must update to a patched version of Electron.
Fixed Versions
26.0.0-beta.1325.5.024.7.123.3.1322.3.19
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email us at [email protected]
- Record
GHSA-7x97-j373-85x5- CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
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.
- Record
CVE-2023-39956- CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L - CVSS 3.1
- 6.6 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
Electron: Out-of-package code execution when launched with arbitrary cwd
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.
- Record
CVE-2023-39956- CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-7x97-j373-85x5
Electron vulnerable to out-of-package code execution when launched with arbitrary cwd
Impact
Apps that are launched as command line executables are impacted. E.g. if your app exposes itself in the path as myapp --help
Specifically this issue can only be exploited if the following conditions are met:
- Your app is launched with an attacker-controlled working directory
- 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. Please bear this in mind when reporting similar issues in the future.
Workarounds
There are no app side workarounds, you must update to a patched version of Electron.
Fixed Versions
26.0.0-beta.1325.5.024.7.123.3.1322.3.19
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email us at [email protected]
- Record
GHSA-7x97-j373-85x5- CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-39956 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.1) in Electron, published September 6, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.49%, the 42nd percentile. Fixed in electron 22.3.19.