SSL Validation Defaults to False in electron-packager

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

not scored

EPSS

• CVE-2016-10534: 0.94% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 60.90 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Affected versions of electron-packager configure the generated application to disable SSL certificate verification by default. This could allow an attacker with a privileged network position to launch a Man In The Middle (MITM) attack on the install process, intercepting the step where electron-packager downloads Electron for supported target platforms and architectures, and replacing the valid download with a tampered malicious one. This only affects users using the electron-packager CLI. The strict-ssl option defaults to true for the node.js API. Recommendation 1. Update to version 7.0.0 or later. 2. Delete the electron-download cache folder, which is by default located at ~/.electron.

Published by the source

18 Feb 2019, 23:58 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Nov 2023, 03:58 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:07 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2016-10534

Advisory: SSL Validation Defaults to False in electron-packager
IDs: CVE-2016-10534, GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2016-10534 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:07 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Unrated
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: electron-packager 7.0.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm electron-packager: affected >= 5.2.1, < 7.0.0; fixed in 7.0.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls electron-packager --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on electron-packager.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc (OSV record GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc lists affected ranges: npm electron-packager >=5.2.1 <7.0.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-q43m-ffwr-rpcc lists affected ranges: npm electron-packager >=5.2.1 <7.0.0)

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