CVE-2026-43998
vm2: NodeVM require.root bypass via symlink traversal allows sandbox escape
Description
vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. In 3.10.5, NodeVM's require.root path restriction can be bypassed using filesystem symlinks, allowing sandboxed code to load modules from outside the allowed root directory in host context. Because path validation uses path.resolve() (which does not dereference symlinks) but module loading uses Node's native require() (which does), an attacker can load arbitrary host-realm modules and achieve remote code execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.0.
INFO
Published Date :
May 13, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 26, 2026, 5:10 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-43998
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c |
Solution
- Update vm2 to version 3.11.0 or later.
- Ensure path validation dereferences symlinks.
- Audit module loading for symlink vulnerabilities.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-43998.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-43998 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-43998
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-43998 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-43998 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Translated by [email protected]
Oct. 26, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Translation Title: vm2 de patriksimek, Description: vm2 es una máquina virtual/sandbox de código abierto para Node.js. En 3.10.5, la restricción de ruta require.root de NodeVM puede ser eludida usando enlaces simbólicos del sistema de archivos, permitiendo que el código en el sandbox cargue módulos desde fuera del directorio raíz permitido en el contexto del host. Debido a que la validación de rutas usa path.resolve() (que no desreferencia enlaces simbólicos) pero la carga de módulos usa el require() nativo de Node (que sí lo hace), un atacante puede cargar módulos arbitrarios del ámbito del host y lograr ejecución remota de código. Esta vulnerabilidad está corregida en 3.11.0. -
CVE Modified by 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Sep. 07, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/43xxx/CVE-2026-43998.json">CVE-2026-43998</a> -
CVE Modified by 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Sep. 04, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/43xxx/CVE-2026-43998.json">CVE-2026-43998</a> Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:50850 Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-43998 Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477206 Added Reference https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-43998.json Removed Reference https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:50850 Removed Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-43998 Removed Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477206 Removed Reference https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-43998.json -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Sep. 04, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Removed Reference https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Removed Reference Type https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Sep. 04, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Removed Reference https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Removed Reference Type https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Aug. 06, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:50850 Changed Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:rhdh:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Developer Hub', 'packageName': 'rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:ansible_portal:2'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Self-service automation portal 2', 'packageName': 'ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:ansible_portal:2.1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.1', 'versions': [{'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '1785854226', 'lessThan': '*', 'versionType': 'rpm'}], 'packageName': 'ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal', 'collectionURL': 'https://catalog.redhat.com/software/containers/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:rhdh:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Developer Hub', 'packageName': 'rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] -
CVE Modified by 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Jul. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:ansible_portal:2'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Self-service automation portal 2', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:rhdh:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Developer Hub', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:rhdh:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Developer Hub', 'packageName': 'rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:ansible_portal:2'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Self-service automation portal 2', 'packageName': 'ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
CVE Modified by 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Jun. 30, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:ansible_portal:2'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Self-service automation portal 2', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:rhdh:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Developer Hub', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-59 Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-43998 Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477206 Added Reference https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-43998.json -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-43998', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'poc'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-05-14T00:00:00+00:00'} -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'patriksimek', 'product': 'vm2', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.10.5'}]}] -
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
May. 14, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:vm2_project:vm2:3.10.5:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
May. 13, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
May. 13, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. In 3.10.5, NodeVM's require.root path restriction can be bypassed using filesystem symlinks, allowing sandboxed code to load modules from outside the allowed root directory in host context. Because path validation uses path.resolve() (which does not dereference symlinks) but module loading uses Node's native require() (which does), an attacker can load arbitrary host-realm modules and achieve remote code execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.0. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-59 Added Reference https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-cp6g-6699-wx9c