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MediumFix available

vm2 leaks absolute host filesystem paths to sandbox code via error stack formatting

Type: advisorySource: OSV1 source record

## Summary Attacker-controlled code can trigger a host-realm syntax error and read its stack through the vm2 bridge. Host-realm stack formatting bypasses the sandbox-side redaction, so the returned value exposes absolute paths from vm2, Node.js internals, and the embedding application. Default VM and NodeVM configurations are affected without requiring special options. ## PoC A default-configured `VM` runs attacker-supplied code. Calling `eval` with deliberately malformed source makes the host-side source transformer throw a `SyntaxError`; reading `.stack` on the caught error exposes the host call stack to the sandbox. ```js const { VM } = require("vm2"); console.log(new VM().run(` var s; try { eval("@@@ catch") } catch (e) { s = e.stack } s; `)); ``` ### Observed output ```text SyntaxError: Unexpected character '@' at makeNiceSyntaxError (.../lib/transformer.js:41:16) at transformer (.../lib/transformer.js:116:8) at Object.transformAndCheck (.../lib/vm.js:76:14) at Object.apply (.../lib/setup-sandbox.js:2585:16) at VM.run (.../lib/vm.js:529:16) ``` The stack string returned to the sandbox contains absolute host paths for `lib/transformer.js`, `lib/vm.js`, `lib/setup-sandbox.js`, Node internals, and the embedding application's own source file. ## Impact Sandboxed code running under the default `new VM()` or `new NodeVM()` configuration can read absolute filesystem paths of the embedding application's source tree plus host function names, bypassing the host-path redaction adde

Announced Group revision 1
Original source ↗

GHSA-x6m4-chr9-cg97

Primary source · Revision 1

Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.

Security context

Source reference: osv:GHSA-x6m4-chr9-cg97

vm2

Source reference: /affected/0/package/name

Affected versions
Not stated in this record
Fixed versions
3.11.7

Source reference: /affected/0/ranges

Prerequisites
Not stated in this record

Structured affected-version data

Original package identities and version rules from this source.

[
  {
    "ranges": [
      {
        "type": "SEMVER",
        "events": [
          {
            "introduced": "3.11.0"
          },
          {
            "fixed": "3.11.7"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "package": {
      "name": "vm2",
      "purl": "pkg:npm/vm2",
      "ecosystem": "npm"
    },
    "database_specific": {
      "source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-x6m4-chr9-cg97/GHSA-x6m4-chr9-cg97.json",
      "last_known_affected_version_range": "<= 3.11.6"
    }
  }
]
Related CVEs
CVE-2026-92936

Source reference: /aliases

Publisher severity

medium

Source reference: /severity/1/score

Event
#85832 · Revision 1
Added to Heist Feed
Publisher date
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