CVE-2026-121749
nvm passes the version pattern to grep without -e, letting a .nvmrc inject grep options and read local files
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.5.0 through 0.40.8, the requested version pattern is passed to grep as a bare argument, without -e, in nvm_ls_remote_index_tab, nvm_remote_version, and nvm_ls_cached. A .nvmrc whose first line starts with -, such as -Rohenpm_[A-Za-z0-9]*, is parsed as grep options; with GNU grep, -R searches the current directory recursively (following symlinks) instead of the version list. On a bare nvm install, nvm then treats a matched string from those files as the version, prints it, and requests it from the configured mirror inside download URLs, so for example a repository containing a symlink to ../../.npmrc can leak the user's npm token to the terminal and to the mirror's and any proxy's logs. The disclosure is read-only and limited to the characters 0-9A-Za-z._+-. Version 0.41.0 passes every version pattern to grep with -e.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Active
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
4.6
nvm passes the version pattern to grep without -e, letting a .nvmrc inject grep options and read local files
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.5.0 through 0.40.8, the requested version pattern is passed to grep as a bare argument, without -e, in nvm_ls_remote_index_tab, nvm_remote_version, and nvm_ls_cached. A .nvmrc whose first line starts with -, such as -Rohenpm_[A-Za-z0-9]*, is parsed as grep options; with GNU grep, -R searches the current directory recursively (following symlinks) instead of the version list. On a bare nvm install, nvm then treats a matched string from those files as the version, prints it, and requests it from the configured mirror inside download URLs, so for example a repository containing a symlink to ../../.npmrc can leak the user's npm token to the terminal and to the mirror's and any proxy's logs. The disclosure is read-only and limited to the characters 0-9A-Za-z._+-. Version 0.41.0 passes every version pattern to grep with -e.
- Record
CVE-2026-121749- CVSS 4.0
- 4.6 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 3.3 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-88
- Updated
- 2026-11-04
EUVDEUVD-2026-117174
4.6
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.5.0 through 0.40.8, the requested version pattern is passed to grep as a bare argument, without -e, in nvm_ls_remote_index_tab, nvm_remote_version, and nvm_ls_cached. A .nvmrc whose first line starts with -, such as -Rohenpm_[A-Za-z0-9]*, is parsed as grep options; with GNU grep, -R searches the current directory recursively (following symlinks) instead of the version list. On a bare nvm install, nvm then treats a matched string from those files as the version, prints it, and requests it from the configured mirror inside download URLs, so for example a repository containing a symlink to ../../.npmrc can leak the user's npm token to the terminal and to the mirror's and any proxy's logs. The disclosure is read-only and limited to the characters 0-9A-Za-z._+-. Version 0.41.0 passes every version pattern to grep with -e.
- Record
EUVD-2026-117174- CVSS 4.0
- 4.6 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-04
NVD
4.6
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.5.0 through 0.40.8, the requested version pattern is passed to grep as a bare argument, without -e, in nvm_ls_remote_index_tab, nvm_remote_version, and nvm_ls_cached. A .nvmrc whose first line starts with -, such as -Rohenpm_[A-Za-z0-9]*, is parsed as grep options; with GNU grep, -R searches the current directory recursively (following symlinks) instead of the version list. On a bare nvm install, nvm then treats a matched string from those files as the version, prints it, and requests it from the configured mirror inside download URLs, so for example a repository containing a symlink to ../../.npmrc can leak the user's npm token to the terminal and to the mirror's and any proxy's logs. The disclosure is read-only and limited to the characters 0-9A-Za-z._+-. Version 0.41.0 passes every version pattern to grep with -e.
- Record
CVE-2026-121749- CVSS 4.0
- 4.6 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - CVSS 3.1
- 3.3 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-88
- Updated
- 2026-11-04
OSV
4.6
nvm passes the version pattern to grep without -e, letting a .nvmrc inject grep options and read local files
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.5.0 through 0.40.8, the requested version pattern is passed to grep as a bare argument, without -e, in nvm_ls_remote_index_tab, nvm_remote_version, and nvm_ls_cached. A .nvmrc whose first line starts with -, such as -Rohenpm_[A-Za-z0-9]*, is parsed as grep options; with GNU grep, -R searches the current directory recursively (following symlinks) instead of the version list. On a bare nvm install, nvm then treats a matched string from those files as the version, prints it, and requests it from the configured mirror inside download URLs, so for example a repository containing a symlink to ../../.npmrc can leak the user's npm token to the terminal and to the mirror's and any proxy's logs. The disclosure is read-only and limited to the characters 0-9A-Za-z._+-. Version 0.41.0 passes every version pattern to grep with -e.
- Record
CVE-2026-121749- CVSS 4.0
- 4.6 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-88
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| references | OSV | |
| aliases, references | OSV | |
| aliases, published | EUVD, NVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-121749 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.6) in Nvm-sh Nvm, published November 4, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.16%, the 5th percentile. No source names a fixed version.