CVE-2026-15921 (GCVE-0-2026-15921)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-07-15 21:16 – Updated: 2026-07-15 21:38
VLAI
Title
nvm path traversal via a malicious mirror's LTS codename writes outside the alias directory
Summary
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.32.1 through 0.40.5, `nvm ls-remote` (and other commands that refresh remote LTS aliases, such as `nvm install --lts`) parse the node.js mirror's `index.tab` and use each release's LTS codename field as an alias filename without validating it. A malicious, compromised, or man-in-the-middled mirror can return an LTS codename containing path-traversal sequences such as `../../../.bashrc`, causing nvm to write the associated version string to a path outside `$NVM_DIR/alias`. With the default layout (`$NVM_DIR` is `~/.nvm`), this can create or overwrite files in the user's home directory, including shell startup files, which can lead to code execution in a later shell session. Exploitation requires the victim to use a hostile mirror -- via a compromised mirror or CDN, a network man-in-the-middle, or a maliciously configured `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR`/`NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR` -- and to run an affected command. Version 0.40.6 validates remote LTS codenames as safe alias filenames and rejects `..` path components when writing alias files.
Severity
2.1 (Low)
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
3.1 (Low)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
CWE
  • CWE-22 - Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
  • CWE-73 - External Control of File Name or Path
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
nvm-sh nvm Affected: 0.32.1 , < 0.40.6 (semver)
Create a notification for this product.
Date Public
2026-07-15 00:00
Credits
Sy2n0 (https://github.com/Sy2n0) Jordan Harband (https://github.com/ljharb)
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "nvm",
          "repo": "https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm",
          "vendor": "nvm-sh",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "0.40.6",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0.32.1",
              "versionType": "semver"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "credits": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "type": "finder",
          "value": "Sy2n0 (https://github.com/Sy2n0)"
        },
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "type": "remediation developer",
          "value": "Jordan Harband (https://github.com/ljharb)"
        }
      ],
      "datePublic": "2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z",
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "supportingMedia": [
            {
              "base64": false,
              "type": "text/html",
              "value": "\u003cp\u003eNode Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.32.1 through 0.40.5, `nvm ls-remote` (and other commands that refresh remote LTS aliases, such as `nvm install --lts`) parse the node.js mirror\u0027s `index.tab` and use each release\u0027s LTS codename field as an alias filename without validating it. A malicious, compromised, or man-in-the-middled mirror can return an LTS codename containing path-traversal sequences such as `../../../.bashrc`, causing nvm to write the associated version string to a path outside `$NVM_DIR/alias`. With the default layout (`$NVM_DIR` is `~/.nvm`), this can create or overwrite files in the user\u0027s home directory, including shell startup files, which can lead to code execution in a later shell session. Exploitation requires the victim to use a hostile mirror -- via a compromised mirror or CDN, a network man-in-the-middle, or a maliciously configured `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR`/`NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR` -- and to run an affected command. Version 0.40.6 validates remote LTS codenames as safe alias filenames and rejects `..` path components when writing alias files.\u003c/p\u003e"
            }
          ],
          "value": "Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.32.1 through 0.40.5, `nvm ls-remote` (and other commands that refresh remote LTS aliases, such as `nvm install --lts`) parse the node.js mirror\u0027s `index.tab` and use each release\u0027s LTS codename field as an alias filename without validating it. A malicious, compromised, or man-in-the-middled mirror can return an LTS codename containing path-traversal sequences such as `../../../.bashrc`, causing nvm to write the associated version string to a path outside `$NVM_DIR/alias`. With the default layout (`$NVM_DIR` is `~/.nvm`), this can create or overwrite files in the user\u0027s home directory, including shell startup files, which can lead to code execution in a later shell session. Exploitation requires the victim to use a hostile mirror -- via a compromised mirror or CDN, a network man-in-the-middle, or a maliciously configured `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR`/`NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR` -- and to run an affected command. Version 0.40.6 validates remote LTS codenames as safe alias filenames and rejects `..` path components when writing alias files."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV4_0": {
            "Automatable": "NOT_DEFINED",
            "Recovery": "NOT_DEFINED",
            "Safety": "NOT_DEFINED",
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackRequirements": "PRESENT",
            "attackVector": "NETWORK",
            "baseScore": 2.1,
            "baseSeverity": "LOW",
            "exploitMaturity": "NOT_DEFINED",
            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "providerUrgency": "NOT_DEFINED",
            "subAvailabilityImpact": "NONE",
            "subConfidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "subIntegrityImpact": "NONE",
            "userInteraction": "ACTIVE",
            "valueDensity": "NOT_DEFINED",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
            "version": "4.0",
            "vulnAvailabilityImpact": "NONE",
            "vulnConfidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "vulnIntegrityImpact": "LOW",
            "vulnerabilityResponseEffort": "NOT_DEFINED"
          },
          "format": "CVSS",
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "GENERAL"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "HIGH",
            "attackVector": "NETWORK",
            "availabilityImpact": "NONE",
            "baseScore": 3.1,
            "baseSeverity": "LOW",
            "confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "integrityImpact": "LOW",
            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "scope": "UNCHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "format": "CVSS",
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "GENERAL"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-22",
              "description": "CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (\u0027Path Traversal\u0027)",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-73",
              "description": "CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-07-15T21:38:53.719Z",
        "orgId": "7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158",
        "shortName": "harborist"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "name": "GHSA-4ghp-wxpw-rhpg",
          "tags": [
            "vendor-advisory"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-4ghp-wxpw-rhpg"
        },
        {
          "name": "Fix commit 9275c5ba",
          "tags": [
            "patch"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/9275c5badda1d9d0cdad6f34598a111033eadb42"
        }
      ],
      "solutions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "supportingMedia": [
            {
              "base64": false,
              "type": "text/html",
              "value": "\u003cp\u003eUpgrade to nvm 0.40.6 or later, which validates remote LTS codenames and rejects `..` path components when writing alias files. (Only needed if using a non-default mirror whose metadata contents you do not trust).\u003c/p\u003e"
            }
          ],
          "value": "Upgrade to nvm 0.40.6 or later, which validates remote LTS codenames and rejects `..` path components when writing alias files. (Only needed if using a non-default mirror whose metadata contents you do not trust)."
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-4ghp-wxpw-rhpg",
        "discovery": "EXTERNAL"
      },
      "title": "nvm path traversal via a malicious mirror\u0027s LTS codename writes outside the alias directory",
      "workarounds": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "supportingMedia": [
            {
              "base64": false,
              "type": "text/html",
              "value": "\u003cp\u003eUntil upgrading, only run `nvm ls-remote` and LTS-refreshing commands against trusted mirrors over TLS, and ensure `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR` and `NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR` point only at trusted endpoints.\u003c/p\u003e"
            }
          ],
          "value": "Until upgrading, only run `nvm ls-remote` and LTS-refreshing commands against trusted mirrors over TLS, and ensure `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR` and `NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR` point only at trusted endpoints."
        }
      ],
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "Vulnogram 1.0.2"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158",
    "assignerShortName": "harborist",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-15921",
    "datePublished": "2026-07-15T21:16:46.936Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-07-15T20:49:26.387Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-07-15T21:38:53.719Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "nvd": "{\"cve\":{\"id\":\"CVE-2026-15921\",\"sourceIdentifier\":\"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158\",\"published\":\"2026-07-15T22:16:45.717\",\"lastModified\":\"2026-07-15T22:16:45.717\",\"vulnStatus\":\"Received\",\"cveTags\":[],\"descriptions\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.32.1 through 0.40.5, `nvm ls-remote` (and other commands that refresh remote LTS aliases, such as `nvm install --lts`) parse the node.js mirror\u0027s `index.tab` and use each release\u0027s LTS codename field as an alias filename without validating it. A malicious, compromised, or man-in-the-middled mirror can return an LTS codename containing path-traversal sequences such as `../../../.bashrc`, causing nvm to write the associated version string to a path outside `$NVM_DIR/alias`. With the default layout (`$NVM_DIR` is `~/.nvm`), this can create or overwrite files in the user\u0027s home directory, including shell startup files, which can lead to code execution in a later shell session. Exploitation requires the victim to use a hostile mirror -- via a compromised mirror or CDN, a network man-in-the-middle, or a maliciously configured `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR`/`NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR` -- and to run an affected command. Version 0.40.6 validates remote LTS codenames as safe alias filenames and rejects `..` path components when writing alias files.\"}],\"affected\":[{\"source\":\"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158\",\"affectedData\":[{\"vendor\":\"nvm-sh\",\"product\":\"nvm\",\"defaultStatus\":\"unaffected\",\"repo\":\"https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"0.32.1\",\"lessThan\":\"0.40.6\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"affected\"}]}]}],\"metrics\":{\"cvssMetricV40\":[{\"source\":\"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"4.0\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X\",\"baseScore\":2.1,\"baseSeverity\":\"LOW\",\"attackVector\":\"NETWORK\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"attackRequirements\":\"PRESENT\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"NONE\",\"userInteraction\":\"ACTIVE\",\"vulnConfidentialityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"vulnIntegrityImpact\":\"LOW\",\"vulnAvailabilityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"subConfidentialityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"subIntegrityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"subAvailabilityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"exploitMaturity\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"confidentialityRequirement\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"integrityRequirement\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"availabilityRequirement\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedAttackVector\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedAttackComplexity\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedAttackRequirements\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedPrivilegesRequired\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedUserInteraction\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedVulnConfidentialityImpact\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedVulnIntegrityImpact\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedVulnAvailabilityImpact\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedSubConfidentialityImpact\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedSubIntegrityImpact\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"modifiedSubAvailabilityImpact\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"Safety\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"Automatable\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"Recovery\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"valueDensity\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"vulnerabilityResponseEffort\":\"NOT_DEFINED\",\"providerUrgency\":\"NOT_DEFINED\"}}],\"cvssMetricV31\":[{\"source\":\"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N\",\"baseScore\":3.1,\"baseSeverity\":\"LOW\",\"attackVector\":\"NETWORK\",\"attackComplexity\":\"HIGH\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"NONE\",\"userInteraction\":\"REQUIRED\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"integrityImpact\":\"LOW\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"NONE\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.6,\"impactScore\":1.4}]},\"weaknesses\":[{\"source\":\"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"description\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-22\"},{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-73\"}]}],\"references\":[{\"url\":\"https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/9275c5badda1d9d0cdad6f34598a111033eadb42\",\"source\":\"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158\"},{\"url\":\"https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-4ghp-wxpw-rhpg\",\"source\":\"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158\"}]}}"
  }
}



Log in or create an account to share your comment.




Tags
Taxonomy of the tags.





Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

Author Source Type Date Other

Nomenclature

  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
  • Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.