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CVE-2026-121749nvm-sh nvm argument injection

Low priorityMedium4.6EPSS 0.16%, higher than 5% of scored CVEs

CVE-2026-121749 is a argument injection in nvm-sh nvm, rated medium (4.6 on CVSS 4.0).

Why this priority: Medium severity, with no exploitation signal.

Published · Updated · NVD status: Awaiting Analysis

What it is

Input becomes extra arguments to a program the software runs, changing what it does.

How it is reached

An attacker can exploit it by someone who can already run code or sign in on the machine, without an account, but someone has to act first, such as opening a file or following a link.

What an attacker gains

The direct impact is limited: partial access to data or a partial outage. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker run commands or code with the privileges of the affected service.

Is it being exploited?

There is no public report of exploitation yet. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 5% of scored CVEs.

What to do

  1. Upgrade nvm-sh nvm to 0.41.0 or later.
  2. Limit who can run code or sign in on the hosts that run it.
  3. Warn the people who use it, and filter files and links on the way in.

Description from NVD

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`.

What this means for your architecture.

A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.

Components it touches

  • Application servers and the hosts they run on. The flaw sits between untrusted input and code or command execution.
  • Template engines. The flaw sits between untrusted input and code or command execution.

Trust boundaries in play

  • Host boundary. The attacker needs a foothold on the machine first; the flaw turns a small foothold into a bigger one.
  • People who open files and links. Mail, chat and browsers are the delivery path.
  • Between untrusted input and code or command execution. An attacker who crosses it can run commands or code with the privileges of the affected service.

Questions to answer about your own systems

  • Where does nvm-sh nvm run in your systems, and at which version?
  • Which of those hosts also run code or users you do not fully trust?
  • What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?

Sources

  • CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
  • Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
  • Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
  • Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.