CVE-2026-15921
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.
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Exploitation outlook
- Low exploitation risk0.22% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 13% of all EPSS-scored CVEs.
Advisory coverage (1)
External references
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[](https://www.csirts.com/cve/CVE-2026-15921)