Electron: Unquoted executable path in app.setLoginItemSettings on Windows
Published 3 Apr 2026 · Updated 6 Apr 2026
Affected packages
- Affected
- <38.8.6
- Fixed in
- 38.8.6
npm install electron@38.8.6- Affected
- >=39.0.0-alpha.1 <39.8.1
- Fixed in
- 39.8.1
npm install electron@39.8.1- Affected
- >=40.0.0-alpha.1 <40.8.0
- Fixed in
- 40.8.0
npm install electron@40.8.0- Affected
- >=41.0.0-alpha.1 <41.0.0-beta.8
- Fixed in
- 41.0.0-beta.8
npm install electron@41.0.0-beta.8Details
Impact
On Windows, app.setLoginItemSettings({openAtLogin: true}) wrote the executable path to the Run registry key without quoting. If the app is installed to a path containing spaces, an attacker with write access to an ancestor directory may be able to cause a different executable to run at login instead of the intended app.
On a default Windows install, standard system directories are protected against writes by standard users, so exploitation typically requires a non-standard install location.
Workarounds
Install the application to a path without spaces, or to a location where all ancestor directories are protected against unauthorized writes.
Fixed Versions
41.0.0-beta.840.8.039.8.138.8.6
For more information
If there are any questions or comments about this advisory, send an email to [security@electronjs.org](mailto:security@electronjs.org)
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References
Advisory data from OSV.dev (opens OSV.dev in a new tab), refreshed daily.