CVE-2020-25019 in jitsi-meet-electron
Summary
by MITRE
jitsi-meet-electron (aka Jitsi Meet Electron) before 2.3.0 calls the Electron shell.openExternal function without verifying that the URL is for an http or https resource, in some circumstances.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-25019 affects the jitsi-meet-electron application, which is a desktop client for the Jitsi Meet video conferencing platform. This issue exists in versions prior to 2.3.0 and represents a significant security flaw that could be exploited by malicious actors to manipulate user behavior and potentially execute unauthorized actions. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of external URLs that the application attempts to open through the Electron framework's shell.openExternal function, creating a potential attack vector that could compromise user security and system integrity.
The technical flaw manifests when the jitsi-meet-electron application processes external links or resources that users might encounter during video conferencing sessions. The application fails to validate whether the target URL conforms to the expected http or https protocols before invoking the Electron shell.openExternal function. This oversight allows the application to potentially open arbitrary URLs, including those using potentially dangerous protocols such as file://, ftp://, or custom URI schemes. When users click on links within the application interface, the vulnerability could cause the system to open unexpected applications or navigate to malicious websites without proper user consent or awareness, creating a dangerous precedent for social engineering attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple navigation issues and represents a serious threat to user security and privacy. Attackers could craft malicious links that, when clicked within the jitsi-meet-electron application, would automatically open harmful applications or redirect users to phishing sites designed to steal credentials or personal information. The vulnerability could be particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users might encounter untrusted links during collaborative video meetings or when using the application for business communications. Additionally, the automatic execution of external applications could potentially bypass security controls that users might have in place, such as firewall restrictions or application whitelisting policies, making this a particularly concerning security weakness.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-732, which addresses inadequate permissions for critical resources, and represents a classic case of insufficient input validation within a privileged execution context. The flaw also maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for phishing, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to deliver malicious payloads through social engineering campaigns. The issue demonstrates poor security practices in application design where the developers failed to implement proper URL validation before executing system-level functions that could potentially compromise user systems. Organizations using jitsi-meet-electron should immediately update to version 2.3.0 or later, where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper URL validation that ensures only http and https protocols are accepted for external link execution, thereby preventing unauthorized system interactions and maintaining user security posture.