CVE-2026-92941: vm2 (npm)

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
EPSS 0.3%, percentile 20: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.3% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 20% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
Only applies if your dependency tree includes vm2 (npm) >= 3.11.3, <= 3.11.6, fixed in 3.11.7. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
Editorial verdict: Check exposure. vm2: 22 Critical Sandbox Escapes, Fixed in 3.12.2 — If anything outside your trust boundary can get code into vm2, upgrade to 3.12.2 today and plan to move that code out of process; if vm2 only runs your own code, upgrade on a normal cycle.

What it is

vm2 versions from 3.11.3 before 3.11.7 expose the host tls module to NodeVM sandbox code, allowing attackers to call tls.setDefaultCACertificates() and replace process-wide certificate authorities. Attackers with access to allowed tls and url builtins can use URLSearchParams to create host-realm arrays and manipulate the TLS trust store, enabling subsequent host HTTPS clients to accept attacker-controlled certificates.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary

vm2 3.11.6 exposes the host tls module to a NodeVM when that builtin is explicitly allowed. Although the module object is wrapped as read-only, its functions still execute against process-wide host state. On Node.js versions that provide tls.setDefaultCACertificates(), sandbox code can replace the certificate authorities trusted by subsequent host-realm TLS clients.

The exploit needs only the narrowly allowed tls and url builtins. It does not require fs, process, module, childprocess, an external package, or a general '' builtin grant. A host HTTPS request rejected an attacker certificate before sandbox execution, then accepted the same certificate and returned an application marker after the sandbox replaced the default CA list.

This crosses the intended sandbox boundary. An attacker can make host HTTPS clients trust an attacker-controlled CA, enabling credential theft and response tampering when the attacker can influence a subsequent destination or network path. Replacing the list also removes the normal trust roots, disrupting unrelated host TLS traffic.

Details

Weakness type: CWE-732.

Product: vm2 (npm) · Assigned by: VulnCheck · Published: 2026-09-17

Affected and fixed versions

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable	First fixed
npm	`vm2`	>= 3.11.3, <= 3.11.6	3.11.7

Vendor	Product	Affected versions (per CVE record)
patriksimek	vm2	3.11.3 < 3.11.7

Severity scores

Scored by	CVSS	Score	Vector
VulnCheck	4.0	10 Critical	`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:H/SI:H/SA:L`
VulnCheck	3.1	10 Critical	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L`
GitHub	3.1	10.0	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L`

Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
Attack complexity: low
Attack requirements: none
Privileges required: none (no login)
User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact total.
FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.29% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 20.

Timeline

2026-08-17 — erroneo.us brief: vm2: 22 Critical Sandbox Escapes, Fixed in 3.12.2
2026-09-17 — CVE record last updated
2026-09-17 — CVE record published by VulnCheck
2026-10-01 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-98xx-8mx4-x7cm published (critical)

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.