Electrum before 4.7.2 External Plugin Authorization Bypass Local Code Execution

Summary

Electrum 4.6.0 before 4.7.2 contains an authorization bypass in the external plugin loader, which executes a plugin's __init__.py module when the plugin is marked enabled in the config file, without verifying its plugin-password signature. A rogue local process with write access to the Electrum data directory can place plugin code in the plugins/ folder and mark it enabled, causing arbitrary code execution inside the Electrum process.

Remediation

1. Inventory every spesmilo electrum deployment, including staging.
2. Upgrade spesmilo electrum to 4.7.2.
3. Confirm the running version after the upgrade.

References

• Patchhttps://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/commit/032dfcf107da1d31bbee5d64ca978e554fd8e982
• Patchhttps://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/commit/fd7164d6dc1560b6f153c018cabf17e9411c5414
• Advisoryhttps://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/security/advisories/GHSA-vw94-r84p-66qf
• Advisoryhttps://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/electrum-before-4.7.2-external-plugin-authorization-bypass-local-code-execution