Security Patterns

Electron Security Patterns

Use this skill when implementing features that interact with Electron APIs or system resources.

Checklist

Core Security Principle

• Renderer process cannot access Node.js APIs directly
  • This is enforced by Electron's contextIsolation
  • All system access must go through IPC bridges
  • Prevents malicious code from accessing system resources

IPC Bridge Pattern

• Define IPC handlers in electron/preload.ts
  • Use contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld() to expose APIs
  • Create type-safe interfaces for exposed APIs
  • Follow the window.electronAPI namespace convention

Example: Adding New Electron API

Step 1: Define handler in preload.ts

// electron/preload.ts
import { contextBridge, ipcRenderer } from 'electron'

contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
  backend: {
    start: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('backend:start'),
    stop: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('backend:stop'),
    // Add new method here
    getStatus: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('backend:status')
  }
})

Step 2: Implement handler in main process

// electron/main.ts
ipcMain.handle('backend:status', async () => {
  // Access Node.js APIs safely here
  return await checkBackendStatus()
})

Step 3: Use in renderer process

// src/components/MyComponent.tsx
'use client'

const status = await window.electronAPI.backend.getStatus()

Security Checklist

• Never expose raw IPC methods to renderer
  • Don't expose ipcRenderer.send() or ipcRenderer.invoke() directly
  • Create specific, scoped methods instead
• Validate all IPC inputs in main process
  • Don't trust data from renderer process
  • Sanitize file paths, validate ranges, check types
• Use typed interfaces for IPC communication
  • Define types in types/ directory
  • Share types between main and renderer processes
• Minimize exposed surface area
  • Only expose what's necessary
  • Don't create generic "execute command" handlers

Common Patterns

File system access:

// ✅ Good - specific, validated
contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
  files: {
    readConfig: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('files:read-config'),
    saveImage: (data: Buffer) => ipcRenderer.invoke('files:save-image', data)
  }
})

// ❌ Bad - too generic, security risk
contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
  files: {
    read: (path: string) => ipcRenderer.invoke('files:read', path) // Unsafe!
  }
})

Process management:

// ✅ Good - scoped to backend process
backend: {
  start: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('backend:start'),
  stop: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('backend:stop')
}

// ❌ Bad - can execute arbitrary commands
system: {
  exec: (command: string) => ipcRenderer.invoke('exec', command) // Very unsafe!
}

Reference

See Electron Security Guide: https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/tutorial/security

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