GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc: Duplicate Advisory Vm2: NodeVM Custom Resolution Bypasses Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Share
CVSS 9.0
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.0) vm2: nodevm custom resolution bypasses vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Duplicate Advisory libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves vm2: nodevm custom resolution bypasses external path boundaries. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.12.2.

GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.0
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Duplicate Advisory
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.0

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc

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: 3.12.2 
npm install vm2@3.12.2
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-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc, 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 3.12.2), 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. 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-5h3f-q97h-ccvc. This link is maintained to preserve external references. ## Original Description vm2 before 3.12.2 contains an authorization bypass in the NodeVM external-module resolver. When an embedder configures `require.external` with a custom resolver (and `context: 'host'`), `LegacyResolver.customResolve` in lib/resolver-compat.js records the resolved module directory in `this.externals` as `new RegExp('^' + escapeRegExp(resolvedPath))`, without requiring a path separator or end-of-string boundary. Untrusted guest code can therefore require the allowlisted module (e.g. `foo`) and then require the absolute path of a non-allowlisted sibling whose path merely shares the resolved prefix (e.g. `.../node_modules/foo2/index.js`); the sibling passes `isPathAllowedForModule` and is loaded through `hostRequire`, so its top-level code runs in the host process before the exports are wrapped with `vm.readonly`, resulting in a sandbox escape and arbitrary code execution in the host context.

GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc Affected Duplicate Advisory Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.12.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
vm2
npm/vm2
npm
< 3.12.2
3.12.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-5h3f-q97h-ccvc
NVD — GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-100721
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/commit/6ac3916da84e060c403e407b6b6318fcc66b0e72
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/commit/91034466bfb7f56b95fd48083ec6ca36d058f164
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/commit/ab4ee7d803e8c80155e9eb3672226bddbca4aa9c
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vm2-befo... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vm2-before-3.12.2-authorization-bypass-via-custom-resolver

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc?
GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc is a security vulnerability in Duplicate Advisory involving vm2: NodeVM custom resolution bypasses external path boundaries under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Duplicate Advisory versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.12.2 across affected packages: vm2.
What version fixes GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc?
Upgrading to 3.12.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is vm2 affected?
Yes, vm2 is affected in releases prior to 3.12.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.12.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc?
GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc?
GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc?
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-c9wr-qm7p-p6vc",
  "modified" : "2026-10-05T23:23:51Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-27T03:31:03Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2026-10-05T23:23:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Duplicate Advisory: vm2: NodeVM custom resolution bypasses external path boundaries",
  "details" : "## Duplicate Advisory\n\nThis advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-5h3f-q97h-ccvc. This link is maintained to preserve external references.\n\n## Original Description\nvm2 before 3.12.2 contains an authorization bypass in the NodeVM external-module resolver. When an embedder configures `require.external` with a custom resolver (and `context: 'host'`), `LegacyResolver.customResolve` in lib/resolver-compat.js records the resolved module directory in `this.externals` as `new RegExp('^' + escapeRegExp(resolvedPath))`, without requiring a path separator or end-of-string boundary. Untrusted guest code can therefore require the allowlisted module (e.g. `foo`) and then require the absolute path of a non-allowlisted sibling whose path merely shares the resolved prefix (e.g. `.../node_modules/foo2/index.js`); the sibling passes `isPathAllowedForModule` and is loaded through `hostRequire`, so its top-level code runs in the host process before the exports are wrapped with `vm.readonly`, resulting in a sandbox escape and arbitrary code execution in the host context.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/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"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.12.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-5h3f-q97h-ccvc"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-100721"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/commit/6ac3916da84e060c403e407b6b6318fcc66b0e72"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/commit/91034466bfb7f56b95fd48083ec6ca36d058f164"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/commit/ab4ee7d803e8c80155e9eb3672226bddbca4aa9c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vm2-before-3.12.2-authorization-bypass-via-custom-resolver"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-10-05T23:23:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-27T02:17:17Z"
  }
}