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CVE-2026-93604: Improper Access Control in patriksimek vm2

0
Medium
VulnerabilityCVE-2026-93604cvecve-2026-93604
Published: 09/18/2026 (09/18/2026, 13:20:13 UTC)
Source: CVE Database V5
Vendor/Project: patriksimek
Product: vm2

Description

vm2 through 3.12.0 exposes Node.js's crypto.setFips() function to untrusted guest code when an embedder explicitly allowlists the crypto builtin for a NodeVM (require.builtin: ['crypto']). The builtin sanitizer (sanitizeCryptoModule in lib/builtin.js) replaces crypto.setEngine but leaves crypto.setFips callable, and the readonly wrapper used to expose the host module does not localize side effects of forwarded host functions. Guest code can therefore call crypto.setFips() to change the FIPS mode of the entire host process; the modified mode is subsequently observed by trusted host code (crypto.getFips() changed from 0 to 1 in the reported test), crossing the NodeVM isolation boundary. Fixed in vm2 3.12.1.

CVSS v4.0

Score 6.9medium

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vuln. Confidentiality
None
Vuln. Integrity
Low
Vuln. Availability
Low
Subsq. Confidentiality
None
Subsq. Integrity
Low
Subsq. Availability
Low
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:L/SA:L

Affected software

patriksimek

vm2

Affected versions
>=0 <3.12.1
vm2
pkg:npm/vm2
Affected versions
>=0 <3.12.1

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AI-Powered Analysis

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AILast updated: 09/18/2026, 13:47:21 UTC

Technical Analysis

The vm2 library through version 3.12.0 exposes Node.js's crypto.setFips() function to untrusted guest code when the crypto builtin is explicitly allowlisted for a NodeVM. The sanitizer replaces crypto.setEngine but leaves crypto.setFips callable, and the readonly wrapper used to expose host modules does not localize side effects of forwarded host functions. As a result, guest code can invoke crypto.setFips() to change the FIPS mode of the entire host process, which is observable by trusted host code, thereby crossing the NodeVM isolation boundary. This issue is resolved in vm2 version 3.12.1.

Potential Impact

Untrusted guest code can alter the FIPS mode of the host process by calling crypto.setFips(), violating the isolation guarantees of the NodeVM sandbox. This could affect cryptographic operations in the host environment that rely on FIPS mode settings, potentially leading to unexpected behavior or security policy violations. The vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction and can be triggered remotely if the crypto builtin is allowlisted.

Mitigation Recommendations

Upgrade to vm2 version 3.12.1 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. Versions prior to 3.12.1 are affected. No other mitigations are specified. Patch status is confirmed fixed in 3.12.1.

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Technical Details

Data Version
5.2
Assigner Short Name
VulnCheck
Date Reserved
2026-09-18T11:00:32.756Z
Cvss Version
4.0
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 6aad3d5d55bf5e2cf5100797

Added to database: 09/18/2026, 13:32:13 UTC

Last enriched: 09/18/2026, 13:47:21 UTC

Last updated: 09/18/2026, 22:12:52 UTC

Views: 11

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