Electron named window.open targets not scoped to the opener's browsing context

Description

Electron is a framework for writing cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Prior to 39.8.5, 40.8.5, 41.1.0, and 42.0.0-alpha.5, when a renderer calls window.open() with a target name, Electron did not correctly scope the named-window lookup to the opener's browsing context group. A renderer could navigate an existing child window that was opened by a different, unrelated renderer if both used the same target name. If that existing child was created with more permissive webPreferences (via setWindowOpenHandler's overrideBrowserWindowOptions), content loaded by the second renderer inherits those permissions. Apps are only affected if they open multiple top-level windows with differing trust levels and use setWindowOpenHandler to grant child windows elevated webPreferences such as a privileged preload script. Apps that do not elevate child window privileges, or that use a single top-level window, are not affected. Apps that additionally grant nodeIntegration: true or sandbox: false to child windows (contrary to the security recommendations) may be exposed to arbitrary code execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 39.8.5, 40.8.5, 41.1.0, and 42.0.0-alpha.5.

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

0.30% · top 77% of all CVEs (5 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 6.0.

Weakness

• CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-668 and its CVEs

Affected products

• electron · electron

  • affected < 39.8.5
  • affected >= 40.0.0-alpha.1, < 40.8.5
  • affected >= 41.0.0-alpha.1, < 41.1.0
  • affected >= 42.0.0-alpha.1, < 42.0.0-alpha.5

Affected packages

From reviewed advisories of the GitHub Advisory Database.

• npmelectronGHSA-f3pv-wv63-48x8 (opens in a new tab)

References (1)

• https://github.com/electron/electron/security/advisories/GHSA-f3pv-wv63-48x8 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRM

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

• CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
• CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
• NVD (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
• OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
• GitHub Advisory GHSA-f3pv-wv63-48x8 (opens in a new tab)
• CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Badge for a README or a ticket

[![CVE-2026-34765](https://trackcve.app/badge/CVE-2026-34765.svg)](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2026-34765)

Record last updated 13 Apr 2026, 15:37 UTC.