nvm executes commands from a malicious Node.js mirror's version strings
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Active
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-78.
Summary
nvm (Node Version Manager) through 0.40.4 executes arbitrary commands from version strings supplied by the configured Node.js/io.js mirror. Commands such as `nvm install` read the available versions from the mirror's index.tab and use the selected version, without sanitization, to build download URLs and shell/awk commands. Two sinks are affected by the same untrusted input: nvm_download() built a curl/wget command string and ran it with `eval`, so a version field containing command substitution (for example $(id)) was executed by the local shell; and nvm_get_checksum() interpolated the version-derived download slug into an awk program, so a crafted version could execute arbitrary commands via awk's system(). An attacker who controls the configured mirror, supplies mirror content to a user or CI on a non-default mirror, or machine-in-the-middles a non-TLS mirror can ∴ run arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user running nvm. The default mirror (https://nodejs.org over TLS) is not affected. Fixed on master (pending the next tagged release) by passing every argument as a literal argv element instead of using eval, by passing the value to awk as data via -v instead of interpolating it into the program, and by rejecting any version outside the Node.js/io.js version grammar before it is used.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-10796
References
More nvm-sh vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-13337 nvm path traversal via a malicious mirror's LTS codename writes outside the alias directory CVSS 4.0LOW 2.1
- TI-2026-82282 Command injection in nvm lets version strings run arbitrary commands CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-85227 nvm prints contents of arbitrary files through a symlinked .nvmrc CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.7
- TI-2026-85226 nvm --save follows symlinked .nvmrc and overwrites files CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.7
- TI-2026-63368 nvm alias resolution follows `..` and discloses files outside $NVM_DIR/alias CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.7
- TI-2026-01349 Command Injection in nvm via NVM_AUTH_HEADER in wget code path CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 5.4
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences