CVE-2026-92946: 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.

No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
EPSS 0.9%, percentile 58: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.9% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 58% of all scored CVEs (moderate). 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) <= 3.11.6, 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 before 3.11.7 contains a remote code execution vulnerability when require.external is enabled without an explicit require.root that excludes nodemodules. Sandboxed code can require vm2's own package, instantiate an unrestricted NodeVM instance, and execute arbitrary host OS commands via childprocess.

From the GitHub advisory

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 nodemodules, 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 (nodemodules/vm2), obtain the real, unwrapped NodeVM/VM classes, construct a brand-new unrestricted nested NodeVM instance, and execute arbitrary host OS commands via childprocess.

This is exploitable using vm2's own documented "Quick Examples" configuration in README.md:

Weakness type: CWE-913.

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

Affected and fixed versions

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

Vendor	Product	Affected versions (per CVE record)
patriksimek	vm2	< 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:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`
VulnCheck	3.1	10 Critical	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`
GitHub	3.1	10.0	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`

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 none, automatable yes, technical impact total.
FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.86% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 58.

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
2026-10-05 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-j3hm-6rg5-mchv published (critical)

Sources and references

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