CVE-2026-44007: patriksimek vm2 sandbox escape via nested NodeVM bypass

CVE-2026-44007 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.1 · Published 2026-05-13

vm2 is a popular software library used to create secure 'sandboxes' for running untrusted code in Node.js environments. A vulnerability exists where an attacker can bypass these security restrictions if the sandbox is configured to allow nested virtual machines. This allows the attacker to break out of the restricted environment and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying server, potentially leading to full system takeover and data theft.

Technologies: vm2 (npm), Red Hat Self-service automation portal. Vendors: npm, Red Hat.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-44007 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44007 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-44007?
Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.1, published 13 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
vm2 (npm) <= 3.11.0, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=3.11.1; Red Hat Self-service automation portal 2.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44007?
Yes. vm2 (npm): upgrade to 3.11.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-44007 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-44007?
Check whether you run vm2 (npm) or Red Hat Self-service automation portal at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • vm2 (npm): upgrade to 3.11.1 or later
    npm install vm2@3.11.1

Technical details

A sandbox escape vulnerability exists in vm2's NodeVM component when the 'nesting: true' option is used. The root cause is a logic error in the legacy module resolver where the 'nesting' flag unconditionally injects the 'vm2' package into the sandbox's available modules, even if 'require: false' is explicitly set. An attacker running code within the sandbox can then 'require' the vm2 library to create a second, inner NodeVM with unrestricted permissions. This inner VM can then access sensitive Node.js built-ins like 'child_process' to execute arbitrary shell commands on the host system. The vulnerability is fixed in version 3.11.1 by preventing the combination of nesting and disabled require settings at construction time.

Affected products

  • patriksimek vm2 < 3.11.1
  • Red Hat Self-service automation portal 2 2

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-44007
  • GHSA-8hg8-63c5-gwmx

Timeline

  • 2026-05-01: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published by maintainer
  • 2026-05-05: disclosed: Public disclosure on oss-security mailing list
  • 2026-05-13: patched: Fix released in version 3.11.1

References

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