vm2 before 3.11.7 Timeout Bypass via FinalizationRegistry

CISA KEV is observed exploitation evidence. FIRST EPSS is a dated prediction of exploitation in the next 30 days. Missing scores are unknown. This collector requests predictions only for explicit CVE aliases in the public NuGet archive; Microsoft release views retain their existing prediction scope.

No collected risk observation for these identifiers. This does not establish absence of exploitation or a zero probability.

vm2 before 3.11.7 (affected versions <= 3.11.6) does not enforce the VM({ timeout }) option on code executed outside the synchronous VM#run() call. The timeout only wraps the single call to _runScript() via doWithTimeout() in lib/vm.js, and FinalizationRegistry and WeakRef are exposed to sandboxed code unmodified (they are not among the hardened globals in lib/setup-sandbox.js). Sandboxed code can register a FinalizationRegistry cleanup callback against an object and then drop the only strong reference to it; vm.run() returns within the configured timeout, but when the V8 garbage collector later reclaims the object it invokes the sandboxed cleanup callback outside any vm2 timeout accounting. A busy loop in that callback blocks the host event loop for an unbounded period, resulting in denial of service. The time of invocation depends on the garbage collector (e.g. under memory pressure or with --expose-gc).

Source published

17 Sep 2026 13:46:05 UTC

Source modified

18 Sep 2026 19:34:23 UTC

Observed here

23 Oct 2026 15:48:27 UTC

Source terms

CVE Program Terms of Use

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This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: cve-program · CVE Program Terms of Use. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS 4.0 · 8.7 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVSS 3.1 · 7.5 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

vm2 before 3.11.7 (affected versions <= 3.11.6) does not enforce the VM({ timeout }) option on code executed outside the synchronous VM#run() call. The timeout only wraps the single call to _runScript() via doWithTimeout() in lib/vm.js, and FinalizationRegistry and WeakRef are exposed to sandboxed code unmodified (they are not among the hardened globals in lib/setup-sandbox.js). Sandboxed code can register a FinalizationRegistry cleanup callback against an object and then drop the only strong reference to it; vm.run() returns within the configured timeout, but when the V8 garbage collector later reclaims the object it invokes the sandboxed cleanup callback outside any vm2 timeout accounting. A busy loop in that callback blocks the host event loop for an unbounded period, resulting in denial of service. The time of invocation depends on the garbage collector (e.g. under memory pressure or with --expose-gc).

Source published

Sep 17, 2026, 1:46:05 PM (timezone not stated)

Source modified

Sep 18, 2026, 7:34:23 PM (timezone not stated)

Observed here

11 Nov 2026 17:05:11 UTC

Source terms

ENISA EUVD · source terms and attribution apply

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This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: euvd · ENISA EUVD · source terms and attribution apply. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

EUVD CVSS 4.0 · 8.7 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

vm2 before 3.11.7 (affected versions <= 3.11.6) does not enforce the VM({ timeout }) option on code executed outside the synchronous VM#run() call. The timeout only wraps the single call to _runScript() via doWithTimeout() in lib/vm.js, and FinalizationRegistry and WeakRef are exposed to sandboxed code unmodified (they are not among the hardened globals in lib/setup-sandbox.js). Sandboxed code can register a FinalizationRegistry cleanup callback against an object and then drop the only strong reference to it; vm.run() returns within the configured timeout, but when the V8 garbage collector later reclaims the object it invokes the sandboxed cleanup callback outside any vm2 timeout accounting. A busy loop in that callback blocks the host event loop for an unbounded period, resulting in denial of service. The time of invocation depends on the garbage collector (e.g. under memory pressure or with --expose-gc).

Source published

17 Sep 2026 14:17:59 UTC

Source modified

18 Sep 2026 20:17:30 UTC

Observed here

25 Oct 2026 16:19:22 UTC

Source terms

NIST NVD usage terms; underlying source attribution retained

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: nvd · NIST NVD usage terms; underlying source attribution retained. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS 4.0 · [email protected] · Secondary · 8.7 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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

CVSS 3.1 · [email protected] · Secondary · 7.5 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

### Vulnerability Summary vm2's `VM({ timeout })` option is documented and relied upon as the mechanism that bounds how long sandboxed code may execute. In the current implementation, the timeout only wraps the single synchronous call to `VM#run()` (via `doWithTimeout` → `this._runScript(script)` in `lib/vm.js`). It does not, and structurally cannot, bound code that the V8 engine itself schedules to run *after* that call has already returned. `FinalizationRegistry` and `WeakRef` are exposed to sandboxed code completely unmodified — they are not present anywhere in `lib/setup-sandbox.js`'s list of specially-wrapped/hardened globals (only `WeakMap`, `Promise`, `Proxy`, `Reflect`, etc. receive hardening there). Sandboxed code can register a `FinalizationRegistry` callback against an object it creates and immediately drops. `VM#run()` returns normally, well within the configured timeout, because registration is instant. At some later point — determined entirely by the V8 garbage collector, and forceable on demand by the host process (e.g. under memory pressure, or via `--expose-gc`) — the engine invokes the sandboxed cleanup callback directly. This invocation is **not** mediated by `doWithTimeout`, `Script.runInContext({timeout})`, or any other vm2 accounting mechanism, because it isn't a new call to `VM#run()` at all — it's the GC's own native callback-invocation path. ## Affected Code & Version - **Repository:** `patriksimek/vm2` - **Version tested:** `3.11.6` (commit `a5b31cd9c01b37139aa9c71df1c691a6d1b440f9`, 2026-08-14) — the current `main` branch, i.e. this reproduces on the latest release, after all 2026 CVE-wave fixes (CVE-2026-22709, CVE-2026-26956, and the May 2026 13-advisory batch). - **`lib/vm.js`, `run()` (~line 501) and `doWithTimeout()` (~line 105):** the `timeout` option only wraps the single call to `this._runScript(script)`. No mechanism exists to bound execution triggered by engine-internal callbacks scheduled outside that call. - **`lib/setup-sandbox.js`, lines 1–14:** the module's captured/hardened globals list (`LocalWeakMap`, `LocalProxy`, `LocalError`, etc.) does not include `FinalizationRegistry` or `WeakRef`. Repo-wide `grep` for `FinalizationRegistry|WeakRef` returns zero matches in `lib/`, confirming neither receives any wrapping, restriction, or special handling — they are exposed to sandboxed code as bare, fully-functional constructors. ## Steps to Reproduce Environment: Node.js v22.22.2, vm2 checked out at the commit above, dependencies installed with `npm install`. 1. Clone and install: ``` git clone https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2.git cd vm2 && npm install ``` 2. Save as `poc_timeout_bypass.js` in the repo root: ```js const { VM } = require('./lib/main.js'); const CONFIGURED_TIMEOUT_MS = 200; const vm = new VM({ timeout: CONFIGURED_TIMEOUT_MS }); const t0 = Date.now(); let runError = null; try { vm.run(` let target = {}; const registry = new FinalizationRegistry(() => { const busyStart = Date.now(); while (Date.now() - busyStart < 3000) { /* burn CPU, block event loop */ } }); registry.register(target, 'held-value'); target = null; // drop only strong reference -> GC-eligible `); } catch (e) { runError = e.message; } const t1 = Date.now(); console.log('vm.run() returned after', t1 - t0, 'ms. Threw:', runError); if (!global.gc) { console.log('Re-run with --expose-gc'); process.exit(1); } global.gc(); global.gc(); const timerScheduledAt = Date.now(); setTimeout(() => { const delay = Date.now() - timerScheduledAt; console.log('Host setTimeout(10ms) actually fired after', delay, 'ms'); console.log('Total wall time since vm.run() returned:', Date.now() - t1, 'ms'); }, 10); ``` 3. Run: `node --expose-gc poc_timeout_bypass.js` 4. **Observed output:** ``` vm.run() returned after 2 ms. Threw: null Host setTimeout(10ms) actually fired after 3000 ms Total wall time since vm.run() returned: 3029 ms ``` 5. **Interpretation:** `run()` returned in 2ms, well inside the configured 200ms timeout — vm2 believes execution completed safely. A host-side timer scheduled for 10ms did not fire until ~3000ms later, proving the entire Node.js event loop — not just the sandbox — was blocked by sandboxed code running 15x longer than the configured timeout, entirely after `run()` had returned and outside any timeout enforcement. 6. `typeof FinalizationRegistry` and `typeof WeakRef` inside a fresh `VM()` both evaluate to `"function"` with no wrapping, confirming the surface is reachable by design, not by an incidental leak. ## Fix Recommendation Pick one or combine: 1. **Remove `FinalizationRegistry` and `WeakRef` from the sandbox global scope by default.** These are rarely needed by untrusted scripts and their GC-driven, engine-scheduled invocation model is fundamentally incompatible with a wall-clock `timeout` promise. Delete them from the context in `lib/setup-sandbox.js` alongside the other hardening done there, mirroring how other dangerous globals are handled. 2. **If they must remain available**, wrap `FinalizationRegistry`'s constructor so the callback the sandbox supplies is itself invoked through a host-side dispatcher that re-applies a fresh per-invocation timeout (e.g. via `Script.runInContext` with `timeout` again, or by tracking cumulative CPU time via `process.hrtime`/`Isolate::TerminateExecution` if this is ever ported to a true isolate model). A callback that exceeds its budget should be forcibly terminated the same way an over-budget `run()` call is today. 3. **Document the gap explicitly** if neither is implemented immediately: the current README/docs describe `timeout` as bounding sandboxed execution without qualification. At minimum, callers should be warned that GC-triggered callbacks (`FinalizationRegistry`) are exempt. any application that runs untrusted code through vm2 with a `timeout` expecting it to bound total CPU time can be denied service indefinitely. A single-line sandboxed script (`registry.register(target, x)` then drop the reference) can queue an unbounded busy-loop that fires at an unpredictable future moment and freezes the entire host Node.js process (single-threaded event loop) for as long as the attacker's loop runs — with no relationship at all to the configured `timeout` value. Because the freeze happens asynchronously and disconnected from the triggering `run()` call, it also undermines incident response: by the time the hang is observed, the `run()` call that caused it may be long gone from logs/traces. This is a **timeout-enforcement bypass / uncontrolled resource consumption** issue, not (as currently demonstrated) a proxy/realm escape to host object access — sandboxed code stays within its own realm. See "What this report does not claim" below.

Source published

5 Oct 2026 22:35:04 UTC

Source modified

5 Oct 2026 22:45:04 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:17:17 UTC

Source terms

GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS_V3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Publisher rating · HIGH

## Duplicate Advisory This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-r4fx-v8hh-22mv. This link is maintained to preserve external references. ## Original Description vm2 before 3.11.7 (affected versions <= 3.11.6) does not enforce the VM({ timeout }) option on code executed outside the synchronous VM#run() call. The timeout only wraps the single call to _runScript() via doWithTimeout() in lib/vm.js, and FinalizationRegistry and WeakRef are exposed to sandboxed code unmodified (they are not among the hardened globals in lib/setup-sandbox.js). Sandboxed code can register a FinalizationRegistry cleanup callback against an object and then drop the only strong reference to it; vm.run() returns within the configured timeout, but when the V8 garbage collector later reclaims the object it invokes the sandboxed cleanup callback outside any vm2 timeout accounting. A busy loop in that callback blocks the host event loop for an unbounded period, resulting in denial of service. The time of invocation depends on the garbage collector (e.g. under memory pressure or with --expose-gc).

Source published

17 Sep 2026 15:32:14 UTC

Source modified

5 Oct 2026 22:45:05 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:17:17 UTC

Source terms

GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS_V3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS_V4 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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

Publisher rating · HIGH