CVE-2024-39698 | Code Signing Bypass on Windows in electron-updater < 6.3.0-alpha.6

Exp

electron-updater allows for automatic updates for Electron apps. The file `packages/electron-updater/src/windowsExecutableCodeSignatureVerifier.ts` implements the signature validation routine for Electron applications on Windows. Because of the surrounding shell, a first pass by `cmd.exe` expands any environment variable found in command-line above. This creates a situation where `verifySignature()` can be tricked into validating the certificate of a different file than the one that was just downloaded. If the step is successful, the malicious update will be executed even if its signature is invalid. This attack assumes a compromised update manifest (server compromise, Man-in-the-Middle attack if fetched over HTTP, Cross-Site Scripting to point the application to a malicious updater server, etc.). The patch is available starting from 6.3.0-alpha.6.

Published: 2024-07-09 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2024-39698 is rated Exploit Available (53/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.32%). 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2024-39698

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2024-39698

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.43% 0.32% -0.11%
2 2025-11-28 0.32% 0.43% +0.11%
3 2025-11-21 — 0.32% —

Full EPSS history (13 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2024-39698

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.6 5.9 [email protected]
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.6 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2024-39698

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2024-39698

GHSA-9jxc-qjr9-vjxq · Severity: high · Ecosystem: npm — electron-updater Code Signing Bypass on Windows

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2024-39698

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
electron electron-builder < 6.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:electron:electron-builder:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
electron electron-builder 6.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:electron:electron-builder:6.3.0:alpha0:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
electron electron-builder 6.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:electron:electron-builder:6.3.0:alpha1:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
electron electron-builder 6.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:electron:electron-builder:6.3.0:alpha2:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
electron electron-builder 6.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:electron:electron-builder:6.3.0:alpha3:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
electron electron-builder 6.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:electron:electron-builder:6.3.0:alpha4:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
electron electron-builder 6.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:electron:electron-builder:6.3.0:alpha5:*:*:*:node.js:*:*

References for CVE-2024-39698

cvelogic Threat Intelligence