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GHSA-fwf6-j56g-m97c

HighCVSS 8.8 / 10
Published May 8, 2026·Last modified May 8, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Impact

Electerm's terminal hyperlink handler passes any URL clicked in the terminal directly to shell.openExternal without any protocol validation.

When a user connects to a malicious SSH server, the attacker can print a crafted URI in the terminal output. If the victim clicks the link, shell.openExternal executes it using the operating system's default protocol handler.

This can be abused to:

  • Trigger dangerous protocol handlers (ms-msdt:, search-ms:) for code execution
  • Open local files or network shares (file://, UNC paths) to leak NTLM hashes or exfiltrate data
  • Launch any installed application associated with a custom URI scheme

An attacker who controls terminal output (e.g., via a malicious SSH server, compromised remote host, or malicious plugin rendering terminal content) can thus achieve arbitrary code execution or local file access on the victim's machine, requiring only that the victim clicks a displayed link.

Patches

As of electerm v3.7.9, no official patch has been released. Users should monitor the project’s GitHub releases and security page for an update addressing this issue.

Workarounds

Until a patch is available:

  • Do not click on any links displayed in terminal sessions connected to untrusted servers.
  • If possible, disable hyperlink rendering in electerm's terminal settings.
  • Use a terminal multiplexer (e.g., tmux) or a separate terminal application that filters URI schemes when working with untrusted hosts.
  • Consider running electerm in a restricted environment (sandbox, AppArmor, SELinux) that limits the spawning of protocol handlers.

Resources

Risk Scores
Base Score
8.8

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. The attacker needs the user to perform some action, like clicking a link. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence
8.1

Exploitation activity has been observed. Apply available patches or mitigations urgently.

EPSS
0.39%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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High severity
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