Skip to content

Improper Scope Validation in the `open` Endpoint of `tauri-plugin-shell`

Critical severity GitHub Reviewed Published Apr 2, 2025 in tauri-apps/plugins-workspace • Updated Apr 3, 2025

Package

npm @tauri-apps/plugin-shell (npm)

Affected versions

< 2.2.1

Patched versions

2.2.1
cargo tauri-plugin-shell (Rust)
< 2.2.1
2.2.1

Description

Impact

The Tauri shell plugin exposes functionality to execute code and open programs on the system. The open endpoint of this plugin is designed to allow open functionality with the system opener (e.g.
xdg-open on Linux). This was meant to be restricted to a reasonable number of protocols like https or mailto by default.

This default restriction was not functional due to improper validation of the allowed protocols, allowing for potentially dangerous protocols like file://, smb://, or nfs:// and others to be opened by the system registered protocol handler.

By passing untrusted user input to the open endpoint these potentially dangerous protocols can be abused to gain remote code execution on the system. This either requires direct exposure of the endpoint to application users or code execution in the frontend of a Tauri application.

You are not affected if you have explicitly configured a validation regex or manually set the open endpoint to true in the plugin configuration.

Technically the scope was never a limitation for the rust side as it is not seen as an enforceable security boundary but we decided to mark the rust crate as affected since the plugin does not need to be a frontend dependency to be exposed.

Patches

The issue has been patched in the 2.2.1 version of the plugin.
The plugin now differentiates between an unset scope and an explicit validation disable for the open endpoint.

Workarounds

A way to prevent arbitrary protocols would be setting the shell plugin configuration value open to true.

tauri.conf.json

"plugins": {
    "shell": {
          "open": true
     },
}

The above will only allow mailto, http and https links to be opened.

If the open endpoint should not be allowed at all there are two possible workarounds.

  • Defining a non matching regex like tauri^ in the plugin configuration
  • Removing shell:default and all instances of shell:allow-open from the capabilities

Alternatively we recommend usage of the opener plugin, as the shell plugin deprecated the open endpoint previously.

References

PoC

This is a windows specific proof of concept.

  1. Use create-tauri-app to make a new Tauri app.
  2. Run tauri add shell to add the shell plugin.
  3. Execute await window.__TAURI_INTERNALS__.invoke("plugin:shell|open", {path: "file:///c:/windows/system32/calc.exe"}); in the developer console.
  4. Observe the calculator being executed

References

@tweidinger tweidinger published to tauri-apps/plugins-workspace Apr 2, 2025
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Apr 2, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Apr 2, 2025
Reviewed Apr 2, 2025
Last updated Apr 3, 2025

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements None
Privileges Required None
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality None
Integrity None
Availability None

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(66th percentile)

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2025-31477

GHSA ID

GHSA-c9pr-q8gx-3mgp

Source code

Credits

Loading Checking history
See something to contribute? Suggest improvements for this vulnerability.