CVE-2023-30547
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedvm2 is a sandbox that can run untrusted code with whitelisted Node's built-in modules. There exists a vulnerability in exception sanitization of vm2 for versions up to 3.9.16, allowing attackers to raise an unsanitized host exception inside `handleException()` which can be used to escape the sandbox and run arbitrary code in host context. This vulnerability was patched in the release of version `3.9.17` of `vm2`. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability. Users are advised to upgrade.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencevm2 versions up to 3.9.16 contain a flaw in exception sanitization within handleException() that allows attackers to raise an unsanitized host exception, enabling sandbox escape and arbitrary code execution in the host context.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 3.9.16CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Find vm2 in your dependenciesRun 'npm list vm2' in your project directory, or search for 'vm2' in your package.json fileAffected if vm2 is listed as a dependency with a version number
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Check the installed vm2 versionCompare the version shown by 'npm list vm2' or from package.json against the affected range: any version 3.9.16 or lower is vulnerableAffected if The installed version is 3.9.16 or lower
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Identify if vm2 sandbox is in useSearch your codebase for imports of vm2 and usages of 'new VM()' or 'VM2' sandbox functions that execute codeAffected if Your application uses vm2 to run or evaluate code, particularly code from untrusted sources
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Verify if untrusted code execution is possibleReview whether user-supplied or external input can reach vm2's run/eval methods (e.g., vm.run(), vm2.execute(), or the Node class)Affected if Untrusted code can be passed to vm2 for execution within your application
Your environment is affected if vm2 version 3.9.16 or lower is installed and your application uses vm2 to run untrusted or external code through its sandbox functionality.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade vm2 to version 3.9.17 or later; no workarounds exist for this critical vulnerability.
vm2 version 3.9.17 or latest
- Upgrade vm2 to version 3.9.17 or later by running: npm install vm2@latest or npm install [email protected]
- After upgrading, verify the new version is installed by running: npm list vm2
- Test that your application functions correctly with the new vm2 version
- Ensure no other packages in your dependency tree are using a vulnerable version of vm2
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-30547 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-30547 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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