# CVE-2026-43943: electerm RCE — Fixed in 3.7.9

📦

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

# CVE-2026-43943 — electerm

HIGH [Fix: electerm/electerm@24ce710](https://github.com/electerm/electerm/commit/24ce7103e264cffe6eb5476c0506a2379e6f8333)

CVE-2026-43943 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) OS Command Injection vulnerability in electerm. A fix is available for electerm — see the affected versions and patch details below.

electerm: RCE via malicious SSH server filename in openFileWithEditor

Also known as[GHSA-q4p8-8j9m-8hxj](/vulnerability/GHSA-q4p8-8j9m-8hxj)

Published

May 8, 2026

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 1, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

## Exploitation Status

### No confirmed exploitation observed yet

-   A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
-   CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-43943.

## EPSS Exploitation Probability

[via FIRST.org ↗](https://www.first.org/epss/)

0.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk\-0.07%

Lower risk than most CVEs6th percentile — riskier than 6% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

0.00%0.25%0.49%0.74%0.0%0.2%Jun 26Sep 26Nov 26

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from [FIRST.org EPSS](https://www.first.org/epss/).

## How urgent is this, really

## Where this sits among everything scored

## Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.

0other npm packages depend on this — each one inherits the vulnerability until it's patched upstream

`electerm`npm

2Kdownloads / week

## Description

#### Impact

A code execution (RCE) vulnerability exists in electerm's SFTP open with system editor or "Edit with custom editor" feature. When a user opts to edit a file using open with system editor or open with a custom editor, the filename is passed directly into a command line without sanitization.

A malicious actor controlling the SSH server or user OS can exploit this by crafting a filename containing shell metacharacters. If a victim subsequently attempts to edit this file, the injected commands are executed on their machine with the user's privileges. This could allow the attacker to run arbitrary code, install malware, or move laterally within the network.

<img width="1792" height="817" alt="1" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ddf78890-e95d-4fe7-981e-f86887677e8b" /> <img width="1648" height="941" alt="2" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cca2295b-2053-4d99-a464-be51eac2f5be" />

#### Patches

Fixed in version >= 3.7.9

-   [https://github.com/electerm/electerm/commit/24ce7103e264cffe6eb5476c0506a2379e6f8333](https://github.com/electerm/electerm/commit/24ce7103e264cffe6eb5476c0506a2379e6f8333)

#### Workarounds

Until a patch is available, it is strongly recommended to:

-   Refrain from using the open with system editor or "Edit with custom editor" feature when connected to untrusted or unfamiliar SSH servers.
-   Consider using the built-in editor for viewing files, as this path may not be vulnerable to the same injection.
-   If the feature must be used, ensure connections are exclusively established with trusted servers and perform rigorous filename validation before editing.

#### Resources

-   [electerm GitHub Repository](https://github.com/electerm/electerm)

## Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem

Package

Vulnerable range

Fix

📦npm

`electerm` 

all versions

3.7.9`npm install electerm@3.7.9`

## Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

`electerm`electerm\_project

< 3.7.9

range

## Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

1.  ### Detect
    
    Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for electerm, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
    
2.  ### Fix
    
    Update electerm to 3.7.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-43943 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
    
3.  ### Workarounds
    
    Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.
    

## Frequently Asked Questions

\### Impact A code execution (RCE) vulnerability exists in electerm's SFTP open with system editor or "Edit with custom editor" feature. When a user opts to edit a file using open with system editor or open with a custom editor, the filename is passed directly into a command line without sanitization. A malicious actor controlling the SSH server or user OS can exploit this by crafting a filename containing shell metacharacters. If a victim subsequently attempts to edit this file, the injected commands are executed on their machine with the user's privileges. This could allow the attacker to r

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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