CVE-2026-43997 vm2: Sandbox Escape
Attackers can escape the vm2 sandbox to execute arbitrary code on the host system by accessing internal host objects.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-43997?
CVE-2026-43997 is a critical code injection vulnerability in patriksimek vm2, published on 13 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. Prior to 3.11.0, it is possible to obtain the host Object. There are various ways to use the host Object, to escape the sandbox, one example would be using HostObject.getOwnPropertySymbols to obtain Symbol(nodejs.util.inspect.custom). This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.0.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43997?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including vm2. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
vm2 npm | All versions | 3.11.0 |
vm2 npm | All versions | 3.11.0 |
Products include Vm2 Project Vm2.
How do I fix CVE-2026-43997?
Upgrade vm2 to 3.11.0 or later.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2026-43997 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-43997 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in patriksimek vm2
Sources
Also known as GHSA-47x8-96vw-5wg6, ROOT-APP-NPM-CVE-2026-43997.