Summary
A sandbox escape vulnerability exists in vm2 for versions up to 3.9.17. It abuses an unexpected creation of a host object based on the specification of Proxy.
Workarounds
None.
References
PoC - https://gist.github.com/arkark/e9f5cf5782dec8321095be3e52acf5ac
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in VM2
Thanks to @arkark (Takeshi Kaneko) of GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, Inc. for disclosing this vulnerability.
Impact
A threat actor can bypass the sandbox protections to gain remote code execution rights on the host running the sandbox.
CVE-2023-32314 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.9.18); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
This vulnerability was patched in the release of version 3.9.18 of vm2.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-32314? CVE-2023-32314 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in vm2 (npm), affecting versions < 3.9.18. It is fixed in 3.9.18.
- How severe is CVE-2023-32314? CVE-2023-32314 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of vm2 are affected by CVE-2023-32314? vm2 (npm) versions < 3.9.18 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-32314? Yes. CVE-2023-32314 is fixed in 3.9.18. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-32314 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-32314 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-32314 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-32314? Upgrade
vm2to 3.9.18 or later.