GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479: Duplicate Advisory Vm2: NodeVM Node:-prefixed Negative Builtin Vulnerability

CRITICAL
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CVSS 9.9
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.9) vm2: nodevm node:-prefixed negative builtin vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Duplicate Advisory libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves vm2: nodevm node:-prefixed negative builtin deny bypass exposes child_process. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.9
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Duplicate Advisory
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Duplicate Advisory dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

vm2 fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install vm2@Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls vm2

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls vm2

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Duplicate Advisory in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls vm2 command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Duplicate Advisory, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Duplicate Advisory This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-8686-vhfx-7r3j. This link is maintained to preserve external references. ## Original Description vm2 through 3.11.6 does not normalize `node:`-prefixed builtin specifiers when evaluating user-supplied negative (deny) entries in a NodeVM wildcard require policy. Although NodeVM strips the `node:` prefix during require() resolution, negative wildcard entries are matched by exact string comparison against the canonical builtin names, so a policy such as `new NodeVM({ require: { builtin: ['*', '-node:child_process'] } })` fails to deny the canonical `child_process` module. Sandboxed code can therefore obtain the host `child_process` builtin via `require('child_process')` or `require('node:child_process')`, gaining references to process-spawning APIs such as execSync and spawn, which is equivalent to host command-execution capability for untrusted sandbox code. Fixed in vm2 3.11.7. (Suggested title: "vm2 before 3.11.7: NodeVM builtin deny-list bypass via node:-prefixed specifiers exposes child_process")

GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479 Affected Duplicate Advisory Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
vm2
npm/vm2
npm
≤ 3.11.6

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-8686-vhfx-7r3j
NVD — GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-92957
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vm2-befo... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vm2-before-3.11.7-authentication-bypass-via-node-prefix

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479?
GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479 is a security vulnerability in Duplicate Advisory involving vm2: NodeVM node:-prefixed negative builtin deny bypass exposes child_process under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Duplicate Advisory versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: vm2.
What version fixes GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is vm2 affected?
Yes, vm2 is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479?
GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.9 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479?
GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls vm2'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-28q4-xrqh-9479",
  "modified" : "2026-10-01T15:35:49Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-17T15:32:16Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2026-10-01T15:35:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Duplicate Advisory: vm2: NodeVM node:-prefixed negative builtin deny bypass exposes child_process",
  "details" : "## Duplicate Advisory\n\nThis advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-8686-vhfx-7r3j. This link is maintained to preserve external references.\n\n## Original Description\nvm2 through 3.11.6 does not normalize `node:`-prefixed builtin specifiers when evaluating user-supplied negative (deny) entries in a NodeVM wildcard require policy. Although NodeVM strips the `node:` prefix during require() resolution, negative wildcard entries are matched by exact string comparison against the canonical builtin names, so a policy such as `new NodeVM({ require: { builtin: ['*', '-node:child_process'] } })` fails to deny the canonical `child_process` module. Sandboxed code can therefore obtain the host `child_process` builtin via `require('child_process')` or `require('node:child_process')`, gaining references to process-spawning APIs such as execSync and spawn, which is equivalent to host command-execution capability for untrusted sandbox code. Fixed in vm2 3.11.7. (Suggested title: \"vm2 before 3.11.7: NodeVM builtin deny-list bypass via node:-prefixed specifiers exposes child_process\")",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "vm2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.11.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-8686-vhfx-7r3j"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-92957"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vm2-before-3.11.7-authentication-bypass-via-node-prefix"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-10-01T15:35:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-17T14:18:01Z"
  }
}