vm2 has a CVE-2023-37903 patch bypass: nesting:true without explicit require still allows full RCE

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

10.0 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2026-47137: 0.38% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 32.23 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary The fix for GHSA-8hg8-63c5-gwmx (CVE-2023-37903) introduced a check in nodevm.js line 263 that blocks the combination nesting: true + require: false. However, the check uses strict equality (options.require === false), which is trivially bypassed by omitting the require option entirely. When require is not specified, options.require is undefined, not false. The strict equality check fails, so the security guard is skipped. Immediately after (line 280), the destructuring default require: requireOpts = false assigns requireOpts = false, producing the exact configuration the patch was designed to prevent. Root Cause Impact Full Remote Code Execution on the host system. An attacker running code inside a NodeVM({ nesting: true }) sandbox (without specifying require) can: 1. require('vm2') to get the vm2 library 2. Construct an inner NodeVM with require: { builtin: ['childprocess'] } 3. Execute arbitrary OS commands via childprocess.execSync The inner VM is completely unconstrained…

Published by the source

29 May 2026, 17:50 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Jul 2026, 08:14 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr

2. Revision 2 · amended · 24 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr

3. Revision 1 · created · 23 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-47137

Advisory: vm2 has a CVE-2023-37903 patch bypass: nesting:true without explicit require still allows full RCE
IDs: CVE-2026-47137, GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-47137 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 10.0)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: vm2 3.11.4. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm vm2: affected <= 3.11.3; fixed in 3.11.4

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls vm2 --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on vm2.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr lists affected ranges: npm vm2 >=0 <=3.11.3)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr (OSV record GHSA-m4wx-m65x-ghrr lists affected ranges: npm vm2 >=0 <3.11.4 (fixed))

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