CVE-2026-114121: Electron external protocol permission misattribution

CVE-2026-114121 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.4 · Published 2026-10-21

Electron is a framework used to build cross-platform desktop applications. A flaw in how Electron handles external protocol requests allows untrusted content embedded in an application to trick the permission handler into thinking a trusted source initiated the request. An attacker can exploit this to launch OS-registered applications on the victim's machine without proper authorization.

Technologies: Electron, electron (npm). Vendors: Electron, npm.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-114121 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-114121 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-114121?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.4, published 21 October 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Electron Prior to 42.11.3, 43.7.0, 44.3.0, and 45.0.0-alpha.5; electron (npm) < 42.11.3, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=42.11.3.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-114121?
Yes. electron (npm): upgrade to 42.11.3 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-114121 attacked?
It is attacked with local access or over the network.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-114121?
Check whether you run Electron or electron (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • electron (npm): upgrade to 42.11.3 or later
    npm install electron@42.11.3

Technical details

The vulnerability is a logic error in external protocol handling where the requestingUrl passed to session.setPermissionRequestHandler can be misattributed when the original document navigates or is redirected. An attacker who can inject or control untrusted content in an Electron application can trigger an openExternal call that will be credited to a trusted origin, bypassing permission checks that rely on requestingUrl validation. The attack requires that the application grants openExternal permissions based on requesting origin.

Affected products

  • Electron Electron Prior to 42.11.3, 43.7.0, 44.3.0, and 45.0.0-alpha.5

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-114121
  • GHSA-997q-gvvc-jwmx

Timeline

  • 2026-10-21: disclosed

References

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