CVE-2023-5217: Heap Buffer Overflow in Electron's libvpx vp8 Encoding
Summary
CVE-2023-5217: Electron affected by libvpx's heap buffer overflow in vp8 encoding. Affects electron across 5 version ranges.
< 22.3.25
>= 24.0.0, < 24.8.5
>= 25.0.0, < 25.8.4
>= 26.0.0, < 26.2.4
>= 27.0.0-alpha.1, < 27.0.0-beta.8
Fixed in 5 releases; the minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- chromium · Debian:11
The same CVE-2023-5217 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
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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 utilizes various libraries and components to enable its functionality. One of these components is libvpx, which is responsible for video encoding and decoding. However, a vulnerability in libvpx's vp8 encoding module has been discovered in Electron, potentially leading to heap corruption.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from a heap buffer overflow in the vp8 encoding module of libvpx. This vulnerability affects Electron versions prior to 22.3.25, 24.8.5, 25.8.4, 26.2.4, and 27.0.0-beta.8. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious HTML page. If a user opens the malicious page using an affected version of Electron, it could lead to heap corruption, potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.
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.
-
< 22.3.2522.3.25npm install electron@22.3.25 -
>= 24.0.0, < 24.8.524.8.5npm install electron@24.8.5 -
>= 25.0.0, < 25.8.425.8.4npm install electron@25.8.4 -
>= 26.0.0, < 26.2.426.2.4npm install electron@26.2.4 -
>= 27.0.0-alpha.1, < 27.0.0-beta.827.0.0-beta.8npm install electron@27.0.0-beta.8
Tip — Not sure which release line you're on? Vulert can find the fix for the version you are using. Scan free →
Workaround
As a workaround, developers can consider implementing input validation and sanitization measures to mitigate the risk of exploitation. By carefully validating and sanitizing user input, the likelihood of encountering a crafted HTML page that triggers the vulnerability can be reduced. However, applying the official fix by updating to the patched version is strongly recommended.
Conclusion
The heap buffer overflow vulnerability in Electron's libvpx vp8 encoding module can potentially lead to heap corruption and allow remote code execution or cause a denial-of-service condition. It is crucial for developers using Electron to update to the fixed versions mentioned in the advisory to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for electron →
FAQ
Electron is an open-source framework that allows developers to build cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
libvpx is a library used by Electron for video encoding and decoding.
The vulnerability can potentially allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by exploiting the heap buffer overflow in libvpx's vp8 encoding module.
To fix this vulnerability, update your Electron version to the fixed versions mentioned in the advisory.
While input validation and sanitization measures can reduce the risk of exploitation, it is recommended to apply the official fix by updating to the patched version.
References
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