vm2 3.11.3 through 3.11.6 Native Code Execution via crypto.setEngine

vm2 3.11.3 through 3.11.6 exposes the host Node.js crypto module to a NodeVM sandbox when the crypto builtin is allowed. The module is presented via a recursive read-only proxy, but its callable exports still execute with host-process authority. Sandboxed JavaScript can therefore call crypto.setEngine() with a filesystem path to an attacker-supplied native library (for example, one bundled in an untrusted plugin package already written to disk); OpenSSL asks the operating-system dynamic loader to load the file, and the library's constructor executes native code in the host process before engine-symbol validation rejects it. Exploitation requires only the crypto builtin and does not require fs, process, module, child_process, worker_threads, vm, or inspector access, resulting in a sandbox escape and arbitrary native code execution. Fixed in 3.11.7.

Source published

17 Sep 2026 13:46:03 UTC

Source modified

17 Sep 2026 14:26:31 UTC

Observed here

23 Oct 2026 15:48:27 UTC

Source terms

CVE Program Terms of Use

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: cve-program · CVE Program Terms of Use. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS 4.0 · 9.4 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

CVSS 3.1 · 9.9 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H