CVE-2026-10796: nvm executes commands from a malicious Node.js mirror's version strings
nvm (Node Version Manager) through 0.40.4 executes arbitrary commands from version strings supplied by the configured Node.js/io.js mirror. Commands such as nvm install read the available versions from the mirror's index.tab and use the selected version, without sanitization, to build download URLs and shell/awk commands. Two sinks are affected by the same untrusted input: nvmdownload() built a curl/wget command string and ran it with eval, so a version field containing command substitution (for example $(id)) was executed by the local shell; and nvmgetchecksum() interpolated the version-derived download slug into an awk program, so a crafted version could execute arbitrary commands via awk's system(). An attacker who controls the configured mirror, supplies mirror content to a user or CI on a non-default mirror, or machine-in-the-middles a non-TLS mirror can ∴ run arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user running nvm. The default mirror (https://nodejs.org over TLS) is not affected. Fixed on master (pending the next tagged release) by passing every argument as a literal argv element instead of using eval, by passing the value to awk as data via -v instead of interpolating it into the program, and by rejecting any version outside the Node.js/io.js version grammar before it is used.
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-10796?
CVE-2026-10796 has a severity rating of high with a score of 7.5.
How do I fix CVE-2026-10796?
To fix CVE-2026-10796, upgrade to nvm version 0.40.5 or higher, which addresses the command injection vulnerability.
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-10796?
CVE-2026-10796 is classified as an OS Command Injection vulnerability.
What effects does CVE-2026-10796 have on nvm?
CVE-2026-10796 allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands by utilizing unvalidated version strings from a malicious Node.js mirror.
Is CVE-2026-10796 exploitable remotely?
Yes, CVE-2026-10796 is exploitable remotely due to its nature of accepting input from a configured mirror.