# CVE-2017-16151: Chromium Remote Code Execution in electron

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code in Electron applications by exploiting a Chromium vulnerability when accessing remote content.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 7 Jun 2018
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4w88-rjj3-x7wp

## What is CVE-2017-16151?

CVE-2017-16151 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Electronjs Electron, published on 7 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Based on details posted by the ElectronJS team; A remote code execution vulnerability has been discovered in Google Chromium that affects all recent versions of Electron. Any Electron app that accesses remote content is vulnerable to this exploit, regardless of whether the [sandbox option](https://electron.atom.io/docs/api/sandbox-option) is enabled.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-16151?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including electron. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `electron` | npm | All versions | 1.6.14 |
| `electron` | npm | All versions | 1.6.14 |
| `electron` | npm | From 1.7.0 | 1.7.8 |
| `electron` | npm | From 1.7.0 | 1.7.8 |

Products: Electronjs Electron.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-16151?

Upgrade electron to a fixed version for your release line: 1.6.14 or 1.7.8.

## Is CVE-2017-16151 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-16151 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Electronjs Electron

- [CVE-2018-1000118](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1000118/): Electron protocol handler browser vulnerable to Command Injection (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-34780](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34780/): Electron: Context Isolation bypass via contextBridge VideoFrame transfer (high 8.4)
- [CVE-2026-102676](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-102676/): Electron: <webview> can enable Node.js integration in Web Workers despite embedder restrictions (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2026-102673](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-102673/): Electron drops inherited HTML sandbox restrictions for popups opened through OpenURLFromTab (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2026-102674](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-102674/): Electron: Windows opened from a sandboxed top-level document do not inherit its sandbox restrictions (high 8.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-16151 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-16151 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Electronjs Electron, published on 7 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-16151 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- electron (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 1.6.14
- electron (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 1.6.14
- electron (npm): affected from 1.7.0; fixed in 1.7.8
- electron (npm): affected from 1.7.0; fixed in 1.7.8

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16151/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16151/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-16151
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16151
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-16151

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16151/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.