Chromium Remote Code Execution in electron

The impact of CVE-2017-16151 is severe. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to gain complete control over an affected ElectronJS application and potentially the underlying system. This could involve stealing sensitive data, installing malware, or disrupting operations. The ability to bypass the sandbox significantly increases the attack surface, as it allows attackers to execute code with the privileges of the application. Successful exploitation could mirror the impact of other RCE vulnerabilities, allowing for persistent access and lateral movement within a network.

Applications built with ElectronJS, particularly those that access remote content from untrusted sources, are at risk. This includes desktop applications used in enterprise environments, as well as consumer-facing applications. Legacy ElectronJS applications that have not been updated are especially vulnerable.

• nodejs / supply-chain: Monitor ElectronJS application processes for unexpected child processes or network connections. Use Get-Process in PowerShell to identify Electron processes and their associated modules.

Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.ProcessName -like '*electron*'}

• linux / server: Examine system logs (e.g., /var/log/syslog) for errors or anomalies related to ElectronJS applications. Use lsof to identify open files and network connections associated with Electron processes.

lsof -p $(pidof electron)

• generic web: Inspect application behavior when accessing remote content. Monitor network traffic for suspicious requests or responses. Use curl to test endpoint exposure and check for unexpected behavior.

curl -v <electron_app_url>

1. 2017-07-24Disclosure

   disclosure

2. 2017-07-24Patch

   patch

1. Veröffentlicht2018-07-24
2. Geändert2023-11-08
3. EPSS aktualisiert2026-04-02

The primary mitigation for CVE-2017-16151 is to immediately update ElectronJS to version 1.6.14 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, consider implementing stricter content security policies (CSP) within the application to restrict the sources from which content can be loaded. Carefully review and validate all remote content accessed by the application. While a direct workaround is unavailable, implementing robust input validation and sanitization can help reduce the attack surface. After upgrading, verify the fix by attempting to load a known malicious remote resource and confirming that the application does not execute arbitrary code.