JVN#00324715
Electron may insecurely load Node modules
Overview
Electron fails to restrict the path for loading Node modules, which may lead to execution of arbitrary JavaScript.
Products Affected
- Electron versions prior to 0.33.5
Description
Electron is a software framework for developing cross-platformm desktop applications with web technologies, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript with Chromium and Node.js. Electron is used in applications such as Atom editor, Microsoft Visual Studio Code, etc..
Electron contains a flaw where the search path for loading Node modules is not restricted properly. This exists due to a flaw in the processing of the 'require' function. When this function is processed, all parent folders for the directory where the module exists is added to the search paths. If an attacker is able to place a malicious Node module in a resulting search path on the victim's system, this Node module will be loaded.
Impact
Loading a malicious Node module placed by an attacker may result in arbitrary programs being executed with the privileges that the application using Electron.
Solution
Update Electron and re-build the application
Developers of applications that use Electron should update Electron and re-build the application.
Vendor Status
| Vendor | Status | Last Update | Vendor Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atom | Vulnerable | 2016/04/22 | Atom website |
| Vendor | Link |
| Electron | Prevent Node from adding paths outside the app to search paths |
References
JPCERT/CC Addendum
Vulnerability Analysis by JPCERT/CC
| Attack Vector(AV) | Physical (P) | Local (L) | Adjacent (A) | Network (N) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack Complexity(AC) | High (H) | Low (L) | ||
| Privileges Required(PR) | High (H) | Low (L) | None (N) | |
| User Interaction(UI) | Required (R) | None (N) | ||
| Scope(S) | Unchanged (U) | Changed (C) | ||
| Confidentiality Impact(C) | None (N) | Low (L) | High (H) | |
| Integrity Impact(I) | None (N) | Low (L) | High (H) | |
| Availability Impact(A) | None (N) | Low (L) | High (H) |
| Access Vector(AV) | Local (L) | Adjacent Network (A) | Network (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access Complexity(AC) | High (H) | Medium (M) | Low (L) |
| Authentication(Au) | Multiple (M) | Single (S) | None (N) |
| Confidentiality Impact(C) | None (N) | Partial (P) | Complete (C) |
| Integrity Impact(I) | None (N) | Partial (P) | Complete (C) |
| Availability Impact(A) | None (N) | Partial (P) | Complete (C) |
Credit
Yosuke HASEGAWA of Secure Sky Technology Inc. reported this vulnerability to IPA.
JPCERT/CC coordinated with the developer under Information Security Early Warning Partnership.
Other Information
| JPCERT Alert |
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| JPCERT Reports |
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| CERT Advisory |
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| CPNI Advisory |
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| TRnotes |
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| CVE |
CVE-2016-1202 |
| JVN iPedia |
JVNDB-2016-000054 |
Update History
- 2016/04/22
- Information under the section "Vulnerability Analysis by JPCERT/CC" was modified.