actual Allows Electron to Run As Node
CVE-2026-42890

4.8MEDIUM

Key Information:

Vendor

Actualbudget

Status
Actual
Vendor
CVE Published:
12 June 2026

What is CVE-2026-42890?

Actual is an open-source personal finance application. In the macOS desktop application version 25.x (built on Electron 39.2.7), the ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE fuse is not disabled, allowing an attacker who can place a file on disk or control command-line arguments to invoke the signed Actual.app binary with the ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE=1 environment variable set. This converts the application into a Node.js REPL capable of executing arbitrary code that inherits the application's entitlements and code signature, bypassing macOS Gatekeeper review. Version 26.5.0 patches the issue.

Affected Version(s)

actual < 26.5.0

References

https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/security/advisorie...
x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://actualbudget.org/blog/release-26.5.0
x_refsource_MISC

CVSS V4

Score:
4.8
Severity:
MEDIUM
Confidentiality:
Low
Integrity:
None
Availability:
None
Attack Vector:
Local
Attack Complexity:
Low
Attack Required:
None
Privileges Required:
Undefined
User Interaction:
None

Timeline

  • Vulnerability published

  • Vulnerability Reserved

.