CVE-2026-121751: Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.39.…
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.39.6 through 0.40.8, `nvm ls-remote` (and other commands that refresh remote LTS aliases) store the version column of the mirror's `index.tab` in `$NVM_DIR/alias/lts/` without validating it, and `nvm_normalize_lts` later evaluates any suffix of an `lts/-N` value inside shell arithmetic `$((N+1))`. Under bash and zsh, arithmetic evaluation expands command substitutions in array subscripts, so a stored value such as `lts/-10*path[$(cmd)1]` runs `cmd` as the user when the alias is later resolved by purely local commands (`nvm ls`, `nvm alias`, `nvm use --lts`, `nvm which lts/`), and in every new shell when the `default` alias is `lts/*`. Exploitation requires the victim to use a hostile mirror -- via a compromised mirror or CDN, a network man-in-the-middle of an `http://` mirror, or a maliciously configured `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR` -- and to run an affected command. The same sink is also reachable from a project `.nvmrc`, which is treated as hardening. dash is not affected. Version 0.41.0 only passes an all-digit `lts/-N` offset to arithmetic and drops `index.tab` rows whose version is not a valid version string.
- Published by source
- 2026-11-04
- First seen by Reality Radar
- 2026-11-05
- Last verified
- 2026-11-05
What the official notice says
Risk: CVSS 3.1
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Sources
- NIST National Vulnerability Database Tier A · official published 2026-11-04
Evidence ledger
Every piece of evidence we store is appended to a public hash chain, so later edits are detectable. Anyone can re-verify it.
| Entry | Kind | Observed | Evidence hash | Entry hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4010 | new | 2026-11-05 | ef271e6c1362…b95212 | ffe14ed9f547…eb5527 |
Chain head: #4215 fb8076e66855…0877cd