Affected: patriksimek vm2

vm2 before 3.11.7 contains a remote code execution vulnerability when require.external is enabled without an explicit require.root that excludes node_modules. Sandboxed code can require vm2's own package, instantiate an unrestricted NodeVM instance, and execute arbitrary host OS commands via child_process.

Affected: npm: vm2

## Summary

`NodeVM`'s `require.external` option lets sandboxed code `require()` local files and npm packages. When `require.external` is enabled and `require.root` is **not explicitly set to a path that excludes `node_modules`**, two defaults combine to fully defeat the sandbox:

- `require.root` defaults to **unrestricted** — "if omitted every path is allowed." - `require.context` defaults to **`"host"`** — files loaded this way run through the **real Node.js `require()`**, not inside any vm2 sandbox.

Sandboxed code can therefore `require()` a relative or absolute path to vm2's own installed package (`node_modules/vm2`), obtain the real, unwrapped `NodeVM`/`VM` classes, construct a brand-new **unrestricted** nested `NodeVM` instance, and execute arbitrary host OS commands via `child_process`.

This is exploitable using **vm2's own documented "Quick Examples" configuration** in `README.md`:

```js const vm = new NodeVM({ require: { external: true, root: './', }, }); ```

`root: './'` reads as a safety restriction but, in any ordinary npm project layout, `./node_modules/vm2` sits inside that same directory tree — so the restriction does not exclude vm2 itself. An application built by following the README's quick-start guide is affected by default.

## Affected Versions

All vm2 versions where `lib/resolver-compat.js`'s `makeResolverFromLegacyOptions` predates this report — confirmed present as of the current `main` (post-3.11.5, including all fixes through GHSA…