Electron Updater Credential Header Exposure in HTTP Redirects

Executive Summary

The vulnerability exists in electron-updater versions prior to 9.7.0, specifically in the HTTP redirect handler (HttpExecutor.prepareRedirectUrlOptions). It only stripped the credential header with the exact lowercase key "authorization". However, other credential-bearing headers, such as PRIVATE-TOKEN (used by GitLab's personal access token flow) and mixed-case Authorization headers (used by GitLab's Bearer/OAuth flow), were not stripped. This allowed these sensitive headers to be forwarded to an attacker-controlled cross-origin redirect destination, potentially exposing credentials.

This issue was fixed in version 9.7.0 of electron-updater.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves the improper stripping of credential-bearing headers during HTTP redirects in electron-updater versions prior to 9.7.0, which can lead to credential leakage.

To detect exploitation attempts or presence of this vulnerability on your network or system, you can monitor HTTP traffic for suspicious cross-origin redirects that include sensitive headers such as "PRIVATE-TOKEN" or mixed-case "Authorization" headers being forwarded.

Suggested commands to help detect this include using network traffic capture and inspection tools like tcpdump or Wireshark to filter HTTP redirect responses and check headers.

• Use tcpdump to capture HTTP traffic and filter for redirect responses (HTTP status codes 3xx): tcpdump -i <interface> -A 'tcp port 80 and (((ip[2:2] - ((ip[0]&0xf)<<2)) - ((tcp[12]&0xf0)>>2)) != 0)'
• Use tshark or Wireshark to filter HTTP redirect responses and inspect headers for presence of sensitive tokens like PRIVATE-TOKEN or mixed-case Authorization headers.
• Search application logs or update request logs for evidence of forwarded credential headers during redirects.

Ultimately, the most reliable detection is to verify the electron-updater version in use and confirm it is updated to 9.7.0 or later, as the vulnerability is fixed in that version.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to the exposure of sensitive credentials, such as personal access tokens or OAuth tokens, to attacker-controlled servers via cross-origin redirects. An attacker could exploit this to gain unauthorized access to user accounts or services that rely on these credentials, potentially leading to data breaches or unauthorized actions within affected Electron applications.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability in electron-updater could lead to the exposure of sensitive credentials by forwarding them to attacker-controlled cross-origin redirect destinations. Such exposure of personal access tokens or authorization credentials may result in unauthorized access to user data.

Exposure of sensitive credentials can potentially lead to violations of data protection regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA, which require safeguarding personal and sensitive information against unauthorized access and disclosure.

However, the provided information does not explicitly state the impact on compliance with these standards.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade electron-updater to version 9.7.0 or later, where the issue has been fixed.

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