CVE-2023-32314
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 Node's built-in modules. A sandbox escape vulnerability exists in vm2 for versions up to and including 3.9.17. It abuses an unexpected creation of a host object based on the specification of `Proxy`. As a result a threat actor can bypass the sandbox protections to gain remote code execution rights on the host running the sandbox. This vulnerability was patched in the release of version `3.9.18` of `vm2`. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
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 3.9.17 contain a sandbox escape vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass sandbox restrictions by abusing unexpected host object creation through the JavaScript Proxy specification. This enables remote code execution on the host system running the sandbox.
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< 3.9.18CVSS 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 installed vm2 versionRun 'npm list vm2' in your project directory, or check package.json dependencies, or inspect node_modules/vm2/package.json for the 'version' fieldAffected if The reported version is below 3.9.18 (e.g., 3.9.17, 3.9.16, etc.)
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Identify vm2 usage in your codebaseSearch your source code for 'require('vm2')' or 'import ... from 'vm2'' statements, and review where the VM or sandbox functionality is invokedAffected if Your application imports and uses vm2 to execute untrusted JavaScript code
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Check for exposed sandbox interfacesReview your application's API endpoints or interfaces that accept user-provided JavaScript code and pass it to vm2 for executionAffected if Untrusted user input can reach vm2's run methods such as VM.run, new VM, or similar sandbox execution functions
You are affected if vm2 version is below 3.9.18 AND your application uses vm2 to execute untrusted code from users or external sources.
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 · scoped3.9.18
Upgrade vm2 to version 3.9.18 or later. No workarounds exist; immediate patching is required due to the critical severity and RCE impact.
vm2 version 3.9.18
- Check current vm2 version in your project (npm list vm2 or yarn list vm2)
- Upgrade vm2 to version 3.9.18 or later using your package manager: npm install [email protected] or yarn upgrade [email protected]
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version
- Test your application to ensure the sandbox functionality works correctly after the upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32314 — 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-2023-32314 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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