CVE-2026-102672 Electron: Local race condition in Squirrel.Mac update installation on macOS
A local race condition in Electron's Squirrel.Mac updater allows attackers to overwrite arbitrary application files, requiring privilege escalation.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-102672?
CVE-2026-102672 is a medium-severity vulnerability in electron, published on 13 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Electron is a framework for writing cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Prior to 39.8.10, 41.10.5, and 42.0.0-beta.2, Electron applications on macOS that use Squirrel.Mac-based automatic updates are vulnerable to a local race in the privileged ShipIt helper. The helper did not bind the validated update target to one canonical application-bundle path for the full installation, allowing a local attacker to redirect the root-level write so that it overwrites another application's files instead of the application that initiated the update. Applications on other platforms and macOS applications that do not use Squirrel.Mac-based automatic updates are not affected. This issue is fixed in versions 39.8.10, 41.10.5, and 42.0.0-beta.2.
Weakness: CWE-367
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-102672?
6 open source packages ship an affected version, including electron.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
electron npm | All versions | 39.8.10 |
electron npm | All versions | 39.8.10 |
electron npm | From 40.0.0-alpha.1 | 41.10.5 |
electron npm | From 40.0.0-alpha.1 | 41.10.5 |
electron npm | From 42.0.0-alpha.1 | 42.0.0-beta.2 |
electron npm | From 42.0.0-alpha.1 | 42.0.0-beta.2 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-102672?
Upgrade electron to a fixed version for your release line: 39.8.10, 41.10.5 or 42.0.0-beta.2.
Is CVE-2026-102672 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-102672 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-vv43-5jgx-7qv8.