CVE-2026-43998Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Host code execution via symlinked module loading

Published May 13, 2026 · Updated May 13, 2026

Sandbox escape in vm2 3.10.5 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code on the host through a crafted NodeVM module load. CustomResolver.isPathAllowed checks a lexical path prefix without dereferencing symlinks, while loadJS passes that path to native require(), which follows them. Exploitation requires permission to submit sandbox code and a symlink inside require.root that targets a module outside the allowed tree; successful abuse grants the host process's privileges.

CVSS severity8.5
High
EPSS probability0.72%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Sandbox escape in vm2 3.10.5 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code on the host through a crafted NodeVM module load. CustomResolver.isPathAllowed checks a lexical path prefix without dereferencing symlinks, while loadJS passes that path to native require(), which follows them. Exploitation requires permission to submit sandbox code and a symlink inside require.root that targets a module outside the allowed tree; successful abuse grants the host process's privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-43998
Published
May 13, 2026
Updated
May 13, 2026
Vendor
Patrik Simek
Product
vm2
Classifications
CWE-59, CAPEC-132, T1059.007
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 13, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.10.5

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Patrik Simek · vm2version=3.10.5

Published CVSS scores

8.5GitHubCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
CAPEC-132Symlink Attack
T1059.007Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript/JScript

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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