Electron: Local race condition in Squirrel.Mac update installation on macOS
Published Oct 13, 2026 · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Original summary
Normalized public record · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Electron: Local race condition in Squirrel.Mac update installation on macOS
Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.
QFinch assessment
On macOS, Electron bundles the Squirrel.Mac auto-update framework, whose privileged `ShipIt` helper performs the final step of an update as root. A local attacker could cause that helper to overwrite a different application's files, as root, instead of the app that started the update. Exploitation requires local access to the machine.
Potential impact
On macOS, Electron bundles the Squirrel.Mac auto-update framework, whose privileged ShipIt helper performs the final step of an update as root. A local attacker could cause that helper to overwrite a different application's files, as root, instead of the app that started the update. Exploitation requires local access to the machine. Apps are only affected on macOS if they ship Squirrel.Mac-based auto-updates. Apps on other platforms, or that do not use Squirrel.Mac auto-updates, are not affected.
Evidence: public source recordsAffected products
| Affected package, product or range | Fix status |
|---|---|
| Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions. | Consult source advisory |
Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.
Remediation
Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.
- Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
- Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
- Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Evidence coverage
- SSVC priority
- LOW
- Confidence
- Not available
- Aliases
- None reported
Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.
Sources and record history
- Security advisory ↗
- Source repository ↗
- Patch commit ↗
- Patch commit ↗
- Patch commit ↗
- Patch commit ↗
- Source repository ↗
- Source repository ↗
- Source repository ↗
Record history
Published Oct 13, 2026 · Last refreshed Nov 3, 2026