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A disclosure reported 13 vulnerabilities in the vm2 Node.js sandbox through version 3.11.7, including seven rated CVSS 10.0. The flaws provide independent routes for untrusted JavaScript to escape the sandbox, potentially access the host Node.js process, and execute commands with its privileges. Reported attack surfaces include WebAssembly, Buffer memory, TLS configuration, module-resolution controls, Promise handling, typed-array prototypes, and NodeVM configuration validation; vm2 version 3.11.8 reportedly remediates all 13 issues. No public exploit or CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listing was known at publication.
Organizations running untrusted code with vm2 should upgrade to 3.11.8, identify exposed deployments, and review whether the library is being relied on as a sole security boundary. vm2’s own security guidance warns that same-process JavaScript sandboxing is prone to newly discovered escape techniques and recommends defense in depth: avoid nesting: true and overly broad builtin-module access, enforce memory limits and buffer-allocation caps, and use separate processes, containers, VMs, or managed execution environments for fully untrusted workloads. NodeVM timeouts do not reliably stop infinite loops, and vm2 alone does not prevent all denial-of-service conditions.
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2 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
CVE-2026-92960 was added for vm2 versions before 3.11.6, where use of builtin: ['*'] exposes the Node.js os and dns modules to sandboxed code. The flaw can expose host and network information and permit dns.setServers() calls that globally alter the host process DNS resolver configuration; CISA SSVC metadata records proof-of-concept exploitation.
A disclosure reported 13 vulnerabilities affecting vm2 releases through version 3.11.7, including seven CVSS 10.0 flaws that could enable sandbox escape and host-process access. The disclosure stated that vm2 version 3.11.8 fixes all 13 issues and that no public exploit or CISA KEV listing was known at that time.
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Researchers disclosed a broad set of critical flaws in the `vm2` Node.js sandbox library that allow untrusted JavaScript to break isolation and execute arbitrary code on the host system. Reports describe 11 to 12 vulnerabilities affecting versions across the `3.9.6` to `3.11.1` range, with most rated `CVSS 9.8` to `10.0`, and impacting core protections such as built-in allowlists, object handling, prototype traversal, Promise species behavior, `util.inspect`, `Module._load()`, WebAssembly exception handling, and unsafe `nesting: true` configurations. One tracked issue, **CVE-2026-24118**, is a sandbox breakout through `__lookupGetter__` in versions prior to `3.11.0`, enabling host-level command execution with no privileges or user interaction. The disclosures reinforce long-running concerns that `vm2`'s JavaScript-only isolation model is not dependable for high-risk use cases such as multi-tenant code execution, plugin evaluation, automated grading, and serverless workloads. While some reports recommend upgrading to **vm2 `3.11.2`** for the latest protections, others note that **CVE-2026-44008** and **CVE-2026-44009** remain unpatched and argue that organizations handling untrusted code should consider stronger isolation boundaries such as containers or microVMs. Successful exploitation could expose environment variables, credentials, and files, and enable full compromise of the underlying Node.js host and potential lateral movement.
Jun 29, 2026
The `vm2` Node.js sandboxing library was hit by a wave of critical sandbox-escape vulnerabilities that let attackers executing untrusted JavaScript break out and run arbitrary commands on the host. Reported flaws include CVE-2026-24120, which bypasses an earlier Promise-species mitigation to reach the host `Function` constructor; CVE-2026-24118, which abuses `__lookupGetter__`, `Buffer.apply`, and prototype traversal; CVE-2026-24781, which leverages `inspect` proxy unwrapping; CVE-2026-26332, which pivots through `SuppressedError`; and CVE-2026-26956, which uses WebAssembly `JSTag` exception handling on Node.js 25+. Across the advisories, affected versions span the `3.10.x` branch and earlier, with several issues requiring only the ability to submit code to a vm2 instance and no authentication or user interaction. The project responded with security releases `v3.10.5` and `v3.11.0`, with `v3.11.0` closing 13 advisories including sandbox escapes, denial-of-service bugs, information disclosure, and prototype pollution. Maintainers also patched a separate `NodeVM` issue tracked as `GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr`, where enabling `nesting: true` with omitted or falsy `require` settings could expose the `vm2` package inside the sandbox and lead to host remote code execution. The releases added broader hardening measures such as `bufferAllocLimit`, stricter handling of dangerous built-ins, and filesystem checks, while maintainers warned that organizations using vm2 to run fully untrusted code should upgrade immediately and avoid treating in-process JavaScript sandboxing as a sole security boundary.
Jun 29, 2026
A wave of disclosures has exposed multiple critical flaws in the Node.js sandbox library **vm2**, showing that untrusted JavaScript can break out of the sandbox and execute commands on the host. GitHub advisories describe several distinct escape paths affecting versions as old as `3.9.6` and, in some cases, up to `3.11.3`, including a breakout through Node.js `inspect`, a Promise species bypass that defeats an earlier patch, prototype pollution through vm2’s bridge to host intrinsic prototypes, and a `NodeVM` misconfiguration path where `nesting: true` lets code bypass `require: false` and load `vm2` recursively to reach modules such as `child_process`. Public proof-of-concepts show attackers recovering the host `process` object and invoking host commands, turning vm2 from a containment boundary into a route to full host compromise. Additional reporting and upstream changes indicate the problems are broader than a single bug. Semgrep documented a new sandbox escape, while vm2 maintainers added regression tests covering descriptor- and prototype-traversal techniques used to recover host constructors such as `Function`, `AsyncFunction`, and `GeneratorFunction`, as well as callback sanitization bypasses tied to Promise handling. A later roundup described five critical vulnerabilities with no practical configuration-based workaround for deployments that execute untrusted code, and urged upgrades to **vm2 `3.11.4` or later**. The advisory backlog on the project’s GitHub page shows a concentrated set of newly published sandbox escape, builtin bypass, and host code execution issues, underscoring that organizations relying on vm2 for isolation should treat affected environments as potentially compromised.
Jun 29, 2026