Your Calculator App Ships With a Whole Browser (And That's Fucked)

I've audited enough Electron apps to know this shit is fundamentally broken. Your basic notepad app bundles the same browser engine that runs YouTube. Try explaining that to a security team without laughing.

The Audit Nightmare

Chrome has millions of lines of code that change constantly. Security teams take one look at it and give up. They flag it as "high risk - we're not auditing this garbage." The Chromium security team patches vulnerabilities constantly, and Electron inherits every single one.

When CVE-2022-29247 hit, renderers could access APIs they shouldn't have. We had to patch a bunch of apps - honestly lost count. The security team was freaking out because nobody knew which apps used what Electron features.

What security teams see:

• Chrome browser with constant CVE patches
• Node.js runtime with file system access
• Your app code running with system privileges
• No meaningful isolation between web content and system

The Audit Problem

Security auditors ask simple questions:

• "Why does your calculator need a web browser?"
• "How do you patch Chromium vulnerabilities?"
• "Can malicious web content access user files?"

The answers are bad:

• Because that's how Electron works
• Wait for Google to fix Chrome, then Electron to update
• Yes, that's the whole point

The CVE Treadmill

CVE-2023-44402 - ASAR integrity bypass on macOS. You could bypass integrity checks if you could write to the filesystem. Security team sent another "drop everything and patch this now" email.

CVE-2022-29247 - Renderers accessing ipcRenderer without validation. Not world-ending, but not good either. Lost a weekend figuring out which apps were vulnerable. Most of them, obviously.

This is the pattern: Electron's architecture creates these problems. It's not bugs getting fixed - it's the design that's fucked.

Why This Nightmare Continues

Electron gives web pages system access by design. The sandbox is optional and most apps disable it because shit breaks. Node.js integration means any HTML can spawn processes, read files, or hit your internal network.

I've been bitching about this for years. Security researchers keep finding new sandbox escapes. It's not bugs - it's the architecture that's broken.

That's why smart teams are switching to alternatives.

Tauri - Good Security, Rust Learning Curve

Tried Tauri last year. Took forever to get comfortable with it - maybe six months? The Rust compiler will make you question your life choices. Rust's memory safety is solid, but you'll spend days figuring out why the borrow checker rejects code that seems perfectly reasonable.

What Makes It Secure:

• Process Isolation: Frontend runs in system WebView, backend in separate Rust process
• Explicit API Boundaries: Web content can only call pre-defined Rust functions through IPC
• No Node.js Runtime: Eliminates the attack vector that kills Electron security
• System WebView: Security updates come from the OS, not bundled browsers
• Compile-Time Security: Rust's ownership model prevents memory corruption vulnerabilities

Enterprise Security Features:

• **Context Isolation by Default**: Web content cannot access backend APIs directly
• Configurable Permissions: CSP headers, allowlist validation, custom security policies
• Audit Trail: All system calls go through defined Rust APIs that can be logged and monitored
• Supply Chain Protection: Cargo.lock ensures reproducible builds with verified dependencies

Migration reality: Your team will argue with the Rust compiler constantly. JavaScript patterns that make perfect sense? Rust will reject them for borrowing violations that require deep dives into Stack Overflow. But once it compiles, it doesn't crash in mysterious ways.

.NET MAUI - For Microsoft Shops

Security Foundation: Microsoft's Trusted Computing Base is solid - they've been hardening .NET for 20+ years. If you're already paying for Windows, Office, and Azure, the security model is at least familiar to your compliance team.

What Makes It Secure:

• Code Access Security: Fine-grained permissions for file system, network, and registry access
• Type Safety: Managed memory eliminates buffer overflow attacks
• Platform Integration: Uses native OS security controls and permission models
• Enterprise PKI: Built-in support for certificate-based authentication and code signing
• Secure Communication: TLS 1.3 by default, integrated with Windows Certificate Store

Compliance Advantages:

• FedRAMP Ready: .NET Core is approved for government use
• HIPAA Compliant: Microsoft's Business Associate Agreement covers .NET applications
• SOC 2 Aligned: Inherits Microsoft's SOC 2 Type II compliance
• Audit Support: Microsoft provides detailed security documentation for audits

Reality check: If you're already paying Microsoft for everything, this makes sense. Don't trust the "cross-platform" marketing though. Windows works great, macOS is decent, Linux support is perpetually "coming soon."

Wails - The Go Option

Security Foundation: Go's simplicity is its strength. Your backend is a few thousand lines of readable Go instead of millions of lines of incomprehensible Chromium. Security teams can actually audit this shit in a reasonable timeframe.

What Makes It Secure:

• System WebView Only: No bundled browser means OS handles all web security
• Explicit Go APIs: Backend functions must be explicitly exposed to frontend
• Memory Safety: Go's garbage collector prevents memory corruption vulnerabilities
• Static Linking: Single binary eliminates DLL hijacking and dependency confusion attacks
• Minimal Dependencies: Smaller dependency tree means fewer supply chain risks

Security Through Simplicity:

• Auditable Codebase: Security teams can actually review the entire backend in a reasonable timeframe
• No Runtime Interpretation: Compiled Go eliminates script injection attack vectors
• Process Separation: Frontend and backend run as separate processes with limited communication
• OS-Level Permissions: File and network access controlled by operating system, not JavaScript

Why Go works: Go is straightforward and boring, which is good. Security teams can actually audit the backend instead of giving up on Chromium. No fighting with lifetimes like Rust. No massive downloads.

Flutter Desktop - Mobile App on Desktop

Flutter desktop feels like a mobile app awkwardly stretched to fit a big screen. Security model is solid because Google actually knows security, but your users will complain that it doesn't feel like a real desktop app.

What Makes It Secure:

• Custom Rendering Engine: No web browser attack surface, just Flutter's controlled widget system
• Platform Channels: All system access goes through explicit, type-safe APIs
• Dart VM Isolation: Memory-managed environment prevents low-level memory corruption
• Google Security Response: Dedicated team monitoring and patching Flutter vulnerabilities
• Sandboxed Execution: Applications run within platform-specific security boundaries

Enterprise Security Benefits:

• Dedicated Security Team: Google invests millions in Flutter security research and response
• Regular Security Audits: Third-party security firms regularly audit Flutter components
• Rapid Patch Deployment: Security fixes deploy through normal Flutter updates
• Platform Integration: Native OS security controls and permission models

Progressive Web Apps - Just Use the Browser

Security Foundation: PWAs run within the browser's security sandbox - the most battle-tested security environment for web applications. No additional attack surface, no system privileges, just proven web security.

What Makes It Secure:

• Browser Security Sandbox: Inherits years of browser security hardening
• Same-Origin Policy: Strict isolation between applications and origins
• Content Security Policy: Robust CSP implementation prevents code injection
• No System Access: Limited to web APIs only, no file system or registry access
• Automatic Updates: Security patches deploy through web deployment, not app stores

Best for Low-Risk Applications:

• Content-Heavy Applications: Documentation, dashboards, reporting tools
• Data Display Applications: Analytics, monitoring, read-only interfaces
• Collaboration Tools: Chat, forums, lightweight productivity apps

Security Trade-offs: Limited functionality means limited attack surface, but also limited capability for applications requiring deep system integration.

What Actually Works

Tauri if someone on your team knows Rust, or you have time to learn. Everything takes longer than expected. Security model is solid.

.NET MAUI if you're already paying Microsoft for everything. Works great on Windows, decent elsewhere.

Wails if you want simpler than Tauri but more secure than Electron. Go is readable even if the docs suck.

Flutter if you're already doing mobile with it. Desktop feels weird but Google's security team is competent.

PWAs if your app is basically a web interface. Limited but also protected by browser security.

Stop using Electron if you care about security audits. The alternatives aren't perfect but they're all better than this mess.

Most Teams Don't Realize How Bad This Looks to Security

Most teams focus on their application code while ignoring the 200MB Chrome browser they ship with every app. I've audited dozens of Electron apps - security is always worse than teams think.

What data are you protecting?

• Public stuff: PWAs are fine
• Internal business data: Any alternative beats Electron
• Customer PII or payment data: Tauri or .NET MAUI
• Healthcare/legal data: Electron disqualifies you automatically

What's your team's experience?

• Web developers: Wails is the easiest transition
• Microsoft shop: .NET MAUI if you're already paying for Windows
• Systems programmers: Tauri if someone knows Rust
• Mobile developers: Flutter desktop (even though it's weird)

Migration Timeline Reality

First month: Update current Electron, enable security features that don't break stuff. Figure out where your app actually touches the filesystem.

Next few months: Build prototypes. We tried Tauri and Wails to see what worked. Tauri was harder because nobody knew Rust, but the security model made sense eventually.

Months 4+: Actually migrate. Start with simple features. Keep the old app running while building feature parity. Test security as you go.

Forever: Security validation, audits, all that fun stuff. Always takes longer than expected.

Getting Security Right in Practice

Tauri security setup was a pain. The configuration options are pretty specific, and it took us a couple weeks to get the CSP policies working right. Their documentation kind of assumes you already know WebView security, which... we didn't.

Wails is simpler but you're on your own for docs. Ended up figuring out a lot of the security stuff through trial and error and reading other people's code. At least when something breaks, the Go code is usually readable enough to debug.

.NET MAUI has decent security tooling if you're already in Microsoft's world. The Azure integration stuff handles a lot of the configuration for you.

When Things Go Wrong (And They Will)

Monitoring reality: You'll log everything at first, then realize 90% is noise. Focus on file access, network connections, and anything trying to escape the sandbox. Still figuring out what normal looks like.

Incident response: Tauri's Rust logs are readable but sparse. .NET gives you Windows Event Tracing if you know WET queries. Wails Go logs make sense. Flutter's crash reports are good if you can navigate Google's labyrinth tooling.

Security updates: WebView updates happen through OS updates (thank god). Framework updates need testing on all platforms. Emergency patches are still a clusterfuck, just a smaller one.

When Security Goes Wrong

Had a client whose app got hit by some ASAR bypass thing. Patient records got exposed, HIPAA went apeshit, lawyers got involved. Whole mess took over a year to clean up.

Another payment app got compromised through filesystem access. PCI compliance got revoked, customers freaked out, took months to get certified again.

Heard about some team losing a government contract because their Electron app failed security review. Contract went to someone using .NET instead.

Either way you're screwed - breaches cost more than migration, but migration is slow and might fail.

The Bottom Line

Security matters: Tauri or .NET MAUI
Compliance required: .NET MAUI for government, Tauri for everyone else
Fast migration: Wails if your team knows Go
Limited scope: PWAs work for simple apps

Staying with Electron: Document why you decided against alternatives, implement security features, hope the next CVE doesn't fuck you. Maybe your auditor will buy "it was easier to build" as justification.

Security teams are done with "but it was convenient" as an excuse for shitty architecture.