vulnerability / NVI-00012975 / Revision 1
vm2: NodeVM `require.external` without an explicit `require.root` grants unrestricted host filesystem access and full RCE
GitHub lists this reviewed advisory for vm2. Published version ranges and source prerequisites are shown below; this is not an inspection of a visitor’s application.
This report has not inspected your inventory, configuration, deployed build, reachability or evidence. A catalog listing and a severity score do not establish exposure or compromise.
01 / Meaning
Why it matters
Published affected context helps an owner decide what evidence to gather. This report has not examined your application.
10 critical
GitHub source severity; exploitability and local consequence require separate evidence.
As of · GitHub Advisory Database
02 / Applicability
The affected context
Affected versions, configuration prerequisites and known exclusions are public. Confirm each one against the deployed service.
vm2
source listed<= 3.11.6
## Summary `NodeVM`'s `require.external` option lets sandboxed code `require()` local files and npm packages. When `require.external` is enabled and `require.root` is **not explicitly set to a path that excludes `node_modules`**, two defaults combine to fully defeat the sandbox: - `require.root` defaults to **unrestricted** — "if omitted every path is allowed." - `require.context` defaults to **`"host"`** — files loaded this way run through the **real Node.js `require()`**, not inside any vm2 sandbox. Sandboxed code can therefore `require()` a relative or absolute path to vm2's own installed package (`node_modules/vm2`), obtain the real, unwrapped `NodeVM`/`VM` classes, construct a brand-new **unrestricted** nested `NodeVM` instance, and execute arbitrary host OS commands via `child_process`. This is exploitable using **vm2's own documented "Quick Examples" configuration** in `README.md`: ```js const vm = new NodeVM({ require: { external: true, root: './', }, }); ``` `root: './'` reads as a safety restriction but, in any ordinary npm project layout, `./node_modules/vm2` sits inside that same directory tree — so the restriction does not exclude vm2 itself. An appli
03 / Response
What to do next
- investigate
Identify the exact component and deployed version, examine the linked publisher’s conditions, and retain evidence of any mitigation.
Confirm current vendor support, compatibility and deployment evidence. This report has not tested a fix in your system. GitHub Advisory Database
A fixed release is not deployment evidence.
Check current vendor support and compatibility. After making a change, verify the deployed build and relevant runtime conditions. Keep the evidence, owner and time. An updated lockfile alone does not prove what is running.
04 / Limits
What this report cannot establish
- Customer inventory, deployment, reachability and exploitation have not been inspected.
05 / Provenance
Sources you can inspect
Each assertion retains its source. Mirrored records may repeat one underlying publisher; additional links are not independent corroboration.
- GHSA-j3hm-6rg5-mchv ↗
GitHub Advisory Database · vendor advisory
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Public revision history
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- Revision 1 ·
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