[ CVE-2026-92957 · Published 17 Sep 2026 ]
vm2: NodeVM node:-prefixed negative builtin deny bypass exposes child_process
[ Why it matters ]Priority signals
- Public proof-of-concept exploit exists (CISA SSVC)
- Critical severity: CVSS 9.9
[ Description ]Official description
vm2 through 3.11.6 does not normalize `node:`-prefixed builtin specifiers when evaluating user-supplied negative (deny) entries in a NodeVM wildcard require policy. Although NodeVM strips the `node:` prefix during require() resolution, negative wildcard entries are matched by exact string comparison against the canonical builtin names, so a policy such as `new NodeVM({ require: { builtin: ['*', '-node:child_process'] } })` fails to deny the canonical `child_process` module. Sandboxed code can therefore obtain the host `child_process` builtin via `require('child_process')` or `require('node:child_process')`, gaining references to process-spawning APIs such as execSync and spawn, which is equivalent to host command-execution capability for untrusted sandbox code. Fixed in vm2 3.11.7.
[ Fixes ]Fixes and patches
- vm2 3.11.7Fixed version · GitHub Advisories · npm package vm2: upgrade to 3.11.7 or later (affected <= 3.11.6)
[ Packages ]Affected open-source packages
- vm2 npmAffected <= 3.11.6 · fixed in 3.11.7 · GHSA-8686-vhfx-7r3j