CVE-2020-4076: Context Isolation Bypass in Electron
Summary
CVE-2020-4076: Context isolation bypass via leaked cross-context objects in Electron. Affects electron across 2 version ranges.
< 7.2.4
>= 8.0.0, < 8.2.4
Fixed in 7.2.4 or 8.2.4, depending on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
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Background
Electron is an open-source framework that allows developers to build cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It provides a runtime environment for creating native-like applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Electron applications consist of two main processes: the main process and the renderer process. The main process runs the application's backend code, while the renderer process handles the user interface. Context isolation is a security feature in Electron that separates the main world context from the isolated Electron context, preventing unauthorized access to privileged actions. However, a vulnerability in Electron allows code running in the renderer process to bypass context isolation and perform privileged actions in the isolated Electron context.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability (CVE-2020-4076) in Electron allows code running in the main world context in the renderer process to reach into the isolated Electron context and perform privileged actions. This context isolation bypass can be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data breaches, or system compromise. Applications using the contextIsolation feature in Electron are affected by this vulnerability.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 45.0.0 as of 22 Oct 2026
npm install electron@45.0.0Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the versions below are the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you can't move to the latest
The minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run.
-
< 7.2.47.2.4npm install electron@7.2.4 -
>= 8.0.0, < 8.2.48.2.4npm install electron@8.2.4
Tip — Not sure which release line you're on? Vulert can find the fix for the version you are using. Scan free →
Workaround
There are no app-side workarounds available for this vulnerability. The only solution is to update Electron to a fixed version.
Conclusion
The context isolation bypass vulnerability in Electron (CVE-2020-4076) allows code running in the renderer process to access the isolated Electron context and perform privileged actions. To mitigate this vulnerability, it is crucial to update Electron to one of the fixed versions: 9.0.0-beta.21, 8.2.4, or 7.2.4. There are no app-side workarounds available, and developers should ensure their Electron-based applications are using the fixed versions or later. For further support on vulnerability remediation, you can contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for electron →
FAQ
Applications using Electron with the contextIsolation feature enabled are affected by this vulnerability.
If this vulnerability is exploited, an attacker can execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges in the isolated Electron context. This can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, or compromise of the underlying system.
No, there are no app-side workarounds available for this vulnerability. Updating Electron to a fixed version is the only solution.
Versions 9.0.0-beta.* of Electron are not impacted by this vulnerability.
For more information, you can email the Electron security team at security@electronjs.org.
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