CVE-2026-92939: vm2 crypto builtin sandbox escape via setEngine

CVE-2026-92939 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-09-17

vm2 is a Node.js library used to safely run untrusted JavaScript code in a sandboxed environment, commonly used in plugin systems and multi-tenant code runners. When the crypto module is allowed in the sandbox, an attacker can exploit the crypto.setEngine() function to load a malicious native library from disk, bypassing all sandbox restrictions and executing arbitrary code with the host process's full system privileges and access to all files and credentials.

Technologies: vm2 (npm). Vendors: npm.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-92939 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-92939 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-92939?
Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 17 September 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
vm2 (npm) >= 3.11.3, <= 3.11.6, SEMVER:introduced=3.11.3,fixed=3.11.7.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-92939?
Yes. vm2 (npm): upgrade to 3.11.7 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-92939 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-92939?
Check whether you run vm2 (npm) 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 3.11.7 or later
    npm install vm2@3.11.7

Technical details

The vulnerability is a sandbox escape caused by improper isolation of the Node.js crypto module. When crypto is exposed to a NodeVM sandbox through a read-only proxy, the proxy's callable functions still execute in the host realm with full host authority. An attacker can call crypto.setEngine(path) with a path to an attacker-supplied native library (e.g., bundled in an untrusted plugin package already on disk); OpenSSL dynamically loads the library and executes its constructor in the host process before validating whether it is a genuine cryptographic engine. This allows arbitrary native code execution without requiring fs, process, or other dangerous builtins. Exploitation requires only the crypto builtin to be allowed and affects vm2 versions 3.11.3 through 3.11.6. The vulnerability has been fixed in version 3.11.7.

Affected products

  • Patriksimek vm2 3.11.3 through 3.11.6

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-92939
  • GHSA-46pr-c5wc-xffx

Timeline

  • 2026-08-24: disclosed: GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-46pr-c5wc-xffx) published
  • 2026-09-17: advisory: CVE-2026-92939 published
  • 2026: patched: Fixed in vm2 3.11.7

References

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