SEPTEMBER 9, 2026
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Case File

CVE-2026-15921

LOW · CVSS 3.1 EPSS 0.22% Public Exploit

Source: NVD + CISA KEV + EPSS · Published 2026-07-15 · Last synced 2026-08-14

CyberRota Analysis

AI-Generated

Node Version Manager (nvm) versions 0.32.1 through 0.40.5 are vulnerable to a path traversal attack via the `nvm ls-remote` command, which can be exploited by using a compromised or malicious mirror to write files outside the intended directory. This can lead to the creation or overwriting of critical files in the user's home directory, potentially enabling code execution in future shell sessions. Users of affected nvm versions, particularly those who rely on external mirrors, should prioritize upgrading to version 0.40.6 or later to mitigate this risk.

Public Exploit Signal

A public exploit, PoC, GitHub repository or Metasploit reference was detected for this CVE.

Detected Signals
exploit code execution

Note: these links are listed for security research and verification purposes only.

CVE
CVE-2026-15921
Severity
LOW
CVSS
3.1
EPSS
0.22%

Original NVD Description

Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.32.1 through 0.40.5, `nvm ls-remote` (and other commands that refresh remote LTS aliases, such as `nvm install --lts`) parse the node.js mirror's `index.tab` and use each release's LTS codename field as an alias filename without validating it. A malicious, compromised, or man-in-the-middled mirror can return an LTS codename containing path-traversal sequences such as `../../../.bashrc`, causing nvm to write the associated version string to a path outside `$NVM_DIR/alias`. With the default layout (`$NVM_DIR` is `~/.nvm`), this can create or overwrite files in the user's home directory, including shell startup files, which can lead to code execution in a later shell session. Exploitation requires the victim to use a hostile mirror -- via a compromised mirror or CDN, a network man-in-the-middle, or a maliciously configured `NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR`/`NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR` -- and to run an affected command. Version 0.40.6 validates remote LTS codenames as safe alias filenames and rejects `..` path components when writing alias files.