CVE-2020-15215 : What You Need to Know

Electron before versions 11.0.0-beta.6, 10.1.2, 9.3.1, or 8.5.2 is vulnerable to a context isolation bypass, allowing privileged actions.

Understanding CVE-2020-15215

This CVE involves a context isolation bypass vulnerability in Electron.

What is CVE-2020-15215?

Electron versions prior to 11.0.0-beta.6, 10.1.2, 9.3.1, or 8.5.2 are susceptible to a context isolation bypass.
The vulnerability affects applications utilizing both

contextIsolation

and

sandbox: true

or

nodeIntegrationInSubFrames: true

.
It enables code from the main world context in the renderer to access the isolated Electron context and execute privileged actions.

The Impact of CVE-2020-15215

CVSS Base Score: 5.6 (Medium)
Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: None
Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability Impact: Low
Scope: Unchanged
This vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, leading to a medium severity impact.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-15215

This section provides detailed technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows a context isolation bypass in Electron versions before 11.0.0-beta.6, 10.1.2, 9.3.1, or 8.5.2.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Versions: >= 8.0.0-beta.0, < 8.5.2; >= 9.0.0-beta.0, < 9.3.1; >= 10.0.0-beta.0, < 10.1.2; >= 11.0.0-beta.0, < 11.0.0-beta.6

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: None

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from CVE-2020-15215 with the following steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Electron to versions 11.0.0-beta.6, 10.1.2, 9.3.1, or 8.5.2 or later.
Disable

contextIsolation

or

sandbox: true

if not required.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor Electron security advisories and update your software promptly.
Implement the principle of least privilege to restrict access and minimize the impact of potential vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches and updates provided by Electron to address the context isolation bypass vulnerability.