# CVE-2026-121746: nvm use --save and nvm install --save write through a symlinked .nvmrc, overwriting any file the user can write


- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Nov 2026
- **Updated:** 9 Nov 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8qjx-8r8m-mpqh

## What is CVE-2026-121746?

CVE-2026-121746 is a medium-severity vulnerability in nvm-sh nvm, published on 4 Nov 2026. 

### Official description

Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.40.0 through 0.40.8, `nvm use --save` and `nvm install --save` (or `-w`) write the resolved version to `$PWD/.nvmrc` with `tee`, which follows a symbolic link. A repository that commits `.nvmrc` as a symlink to a path outside itself (git recreates the link on clone) therefore makes `--save` truncate any file the user can write, such as a shell startup file or `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`, and replace its contents with the version string, or create the target of a dangling link; the link itself is left unchanged, so `git status` stays clean. The attacker does not control the content written, so this is data loss, not code execution. Version 0.41.0 refuses, with a warning, to write when `.nvmrc` in the current directory is a symlink, dangling or not, rather than writing through it or replacing it.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-121746?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-121746?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-121746 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-121746 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-121746 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-121746 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-121746 is a medium-severity vulnerability in nvm-sh nvm, published on 4 Nov 2026. 
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-121746 exists.

Affected product: nvm-sh nvm. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-121746/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-121746/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-121746
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-121746
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-121746

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-121746/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.