Critical sandbox escape in the widely-used vm2 Node library enabling host RCE; affects many Node.js apps that use vm2 with permissive builtins and is likely broadly impactful.
CVE-2026-93605
vm2 sandbox escape allows host command execution via child_process require
do firstUpgrade to a fixed release: 3.12.1.
Is CVE-2026-93605 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-93605 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.48% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-93605?
CVE-2026-93605 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 10.0. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-93605?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-93605. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-93605 affect?
CVE-2026-93605 affects vm2 NodeVM < 3.12.1, Node.js applications using vm2 with builtin:['*'], Apps explicitly allowing child_process in vm2. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-93605?
Upgrade vm2 to >=3.12.1; audit/remove untrusted vm2 usage; restrict builtins and privileges.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote code execution on host: attacker can require child_process from NodeVM to spawn processes and run arbitrary commands.
Immediate action required
- affected< 3.12.1
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
cisa ssvc
- exploitation
- none
- automatable
- yes
- technical impact
- total
Assessed by CISA 21 Sept 2026 (SSVC 2.0.3).
timeline
- 18 Sept 2026Published
- 19 Sept 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com · 1 day later
- 21 Sept 2026CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none · 2 days later
- 21 Sept 2026CVE record last updated · same day later
also known as
- Advisorygithub.com /patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-pq68-rvw4-xp4r
- Advisoryvulncheck.com /advisories/vm2-nodevm-before-3.12.1-remote-code-execution-via-child-process
sources
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- OSV: advisory aliases and downstream package versions
- Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.