CVE Intelligence
Critical Injection

CVE-2023-37903 — Sandbox Escape in vm2

vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. In vm2 for versions up to and including 3.9.19, Node.js custom inspect function allows attackers to escape the sandbox and run arbitrary code. This may result in Remote Code Execution, assuming the attacker has arbitrary code execution primitive inside the context of vm2 sandbox. There are no patches and no known workarounds. Users are advised to find an alternative software.

Published Jul 21, 2023 · Updated Oct 26, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: GitHub_M

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 4.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+14
  • Technical severity (critical)+10

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
4.22%
ahead of 91% of scored CVEs · Oct 29, 2026
Affects
Patriksimek
Vm2
CVSS base
10.0
Critical · 4 source(s)

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Patriksimek Vm2, Vm2 Project Vm2, Npm Vm2).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  4. EPSS ahead of 91% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
  5. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (injection), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Patriksimek Vm2 version <= 3.9.19 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Vm2 Project Vm2 ≤ 3.9.19 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Npm Vm2 ≤ 3.9.19 Vulnerable GitHub Security Advisories

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
10.0 CVSS 3.1 Critical 3.9 6.0 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.8 CVSS 3.1 Critical 3.9 5.9 security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.8 CVSS 3.1 Critical — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
9.8 CVSS 3.1 Critical — — GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)
Scoring entities (NIST, CNA, ADP) score independently; each score is shown with its origin. For prioritization we use 10.0 (NVD (NIST)) as a conservative provisional reference — not a definitive official score.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-78 · OS Command Injection

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 25, 2026 → Oct 29, 2026 · 5 reading(s) · max 4.22%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Look for parameters with command/query metacharacters and unexpected child processes of the service.
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSapplication logsendpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · npm/vm2
    Oct 26, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisories
  • Affected products added · patriksimek/vm2
    Oct 26, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 26, 2026
  • Affected products added · vm2 project/vm2
    Oct 26, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 10.0
    Oct 26, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Modified
    Oct 26, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 26, 2026 · Alertas do Telegram
  • 2023
  • CVE published
    Jul 21, 2023 · GitHub_M

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 2× References added · Oct 26, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 26, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026

References

7 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Patriksimek
every CVE for this vendor
Injection
same class
CWE-78
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-100723 vm2 before 3.12.2 Memory Disclosure via zlib Buffer Pool Sep 26, 2026
  • CVE-2026-100722 vm2 before 3.12.2 Host Process Termination via Construct Trap Sep 26, 2026
  • CVE-2026-100721 vm2 before 3.12.2 Authorization Bypass via Custom Resolver Sep 26, 2026
  • CVE-2026-93605 vm2 NodeVM before 3.12.1 Remote Code Execution via child_process Sep 18, 2026
  • CVE-2026-93603 vm2 before 3.12.1 Sandbox Escape RCE via Non-Strict Host Function Sep 18, 2026
  • CVE-2026-93606 vm2 before 3.12.1 Sandbox Escape via Promise Symbol.species Sep 18, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No CISA SSVC assessment.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2023-37903 is "Sandbox Escape in vm2", rated Critical. It affects Vm2 (Patriksimek); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 10.0 describes technical severity. EPSS 4.22% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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