CVE-2026-43998
vm2: NodeVM require.root bypass via symlink traversal allows sandbox escape
HIGH 8.5
At a glance
- Source
- NVD
- EPSS
- EPSS 0.72 % · percentile 54 ()
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- Updated
- Assigner
- GitHub_M
- NVD status
- Modified
Description
vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. In 3.10.5, NodeVM's require.root path restriction can be bypassed using filesystem symlinks, allowing sandboxed code to load modules from outside the allowed root directory in host context. Because path validation uses path.resolve() (which does not dereference symlinks) but module loading uses Node's native require() (which does), an attacker can load arbitrary host-realm modules and achieve remote code execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.0.
Weaknesses (CWE)
- CWE-59 — Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
References
- https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-43998
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477206
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-43998.json
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:50850
Scores
| Version | Score | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 8.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H | GitHub_M |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 8.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H | redhat-SADP |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 8.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H | NVD · security-advisories@github.com (Secondary) |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 8.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H | NVD · 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c (Secondary) |
Advisories
- GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c — vm2 has a NodeVM require.root bypass via symlink traversal that allows sandbox escape
European references
- ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-30068
- GCVE · GCVE-0-2026-43998
Affected configurations (NVD CPE)
cpe:2.3:a:vm2_project:vm2:3.10.5:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
Affected products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| patriksimek · vm2 | affected 3.10.5 |
Sources
| Source | Licence |
|---|---|
| CVE List (CVEProject cvelistV5) | CVE Program Terms of Use |
| EPSS (FIRST.org) | FIRST — attribution requested |
| ENISA EUVD | ENISA — reproduction authorised, source acknowledged |
| NVD (NIST) via fkie-cad/nvd-json-data-feeds | Public domain — this product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD |