What is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in @budibase/server (npm), affecting versions < 2.20.0. It is fixed in 2.20.0. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.

How severe is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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 @budibase/server are affected by GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

@budibase/server (npm) versions < 2.20.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

Yes. GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 is fixed in 2.20.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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.

What actually determines whether GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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 GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

Upgrade @budibase/server to 2.20.0 or later.

GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 in @budibase/server

Q: How severe is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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.

Q: Which versions of @budibase/server are affected by GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

@budibase/server (npm) versions < 2.20.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

Yes. GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 is fixed in 2.20.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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.

Q: What actually determines whether GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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.

Q: How do I fix GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6?

Upgrade @budibase/server to 2.20.0 or later.

Summary

Budibase affected by VM2 Constructor Escape Vulnerability

Workarounds

There is no workaround at this time for any budibase app that uses JS. You must fully migrate post version 2.20.0 to patch the vulnerability.

References

https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cchq-frgv-rjh5

Impact

Previously, budibase used a library called vm2 for code execution inside the Budibase builder and apps, such as the UI below for configuring bindings in the design section.

Due to a vulnerability in vm2, any environment that executed the code server side (automations and column formulas) was susceptible to this vulnerability, allowing users to escape the sandbox provided by vm2, and to expose server side variables such as process.env. It's recommended by the authors of vm2 themselves that you should move to another solution for remote JS execution due to this vulnerability.

Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.

GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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 (2.20.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

@budibase/server (< 2.20.0)

Security releases

@budibase/server → 2.20.0 (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

We moved our entire JS sandbox infrastructure over to isolated-vm, a much more secure and recommended library for remote code execution in 2.20.0. This also comes with a performance benefit in the way we cache and execute your JS server side. The budibase cloud platform has been patched already and is not running vm2, but self host users will need to manage the updates by themselves.

If you are a self hosted user, you can take the following steps to reproduce the exploit and to verify if your installation is currently affected.

Create a new formula column on one of your tables in the data section with the following configuration.

Add the following JS function to the formula and save.

If your installation is vulnerable, when the formula evaluates you will be able to see the printed process.env in your new formula field. If not, your installation is not affected.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6? GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in @budibase/server (npm), affecting versions < 2.20.0. It is fixed in 2.20.0. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
How severe is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6? GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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 @budibase/server are affected by GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6? @budibase/server (npm) versions < 2.20.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6? Yes. GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 is fixed in 2.20.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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 GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6 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 GHSA-4G2X-VQ5P-5VJ6? Upgrade @budibase/server to 2.20.0 or later.