Description
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.2.0 through 0.40.8, nvm does not check whether `.nvmrc` is a symbolic link. A repository or archive that ships `.nvmrc` as a symlink to another file (for example `../../.npmrc`, or `/proc/self/environ` on Linux) makes a plain `nvm use`, `nvm install`, `nvm which`, `nvm exec`, `nvm run`, or `nvm-exec` read that file and print its contents in the invalid-`.nvmrc` message (even with `--silent`) or, for a one-line file, in the `Found ... with version <...>` message; with the README's zsh `load-nvmrc` or bash `cdnvm` hook installed, entering the directory is enough. nvm sends the content nowhere; the attacker learns it only where they can see the victim's output, such as a CI log for a contributed branch. Version 0.41.0 still follows a symlinked `.nvmrc`, so deliberate links to another version file keep working, but never prints its content, and accepts it only if it contains a version or the name of an existing alias; the README's bash `cdnvm` hook, which read `.nvmrc` itself, now gets the version from nvm, so users of that hook must also update their copy of it.
Published: 2026-11-04
Score: 6.7 Medium
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
AI Analysis

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Remediation

Vendor Solution

Upgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later.


Vendor Workaround

Until upgrading, check for a symlinked `.nvmrc` (`ls -l .nvmrc`) before running nvm in an untrusted project directory, and do not run nvm in CI for untrusted branches where its output is visible to their authors.

Tracking

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History

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.2.0 through 0.40.8, nvm does not check whether `.nvmrc` is a symbolic link. A repository or archive that ships `.nvmrc` as a symlink to another file (for example `../../.npmrc`, or `/proc/self/environ` on Linux) makes a plain `nvm use`, `nvm install`, `nvm which`, `nvm exec`, `nvm run`, or `nvm-exec` read that file and print its contents in the invalid-`.nvmrc` message (even with `--silent`) or, for a one-line file, in the `Found ... with version <...>` message; with the README's zsh `load-nvmrc` or bash `cdnvm` hook installed, entering the directory is enough. nvm sends the content nowhere; the attacker learns it only where they can see the victim's output, such as a CI log for a contributed branch. Version 0.41.0 still follows a symlinked `.nvmrc`, so deliberate links to another version file keep working, but never prints its content, and accepts it only if it contains a version or the name of an existing alias; the README's bash `cdnvm` hook, which read `.nvmrc` itself, now gets the version from nvm, so users of that hook must also update their copy of it.
Title nvm prints the contents of any readable file through a symlinked .nvmrc
Weaknesses CWE-200
CWE-59
CWE-61
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N'}

cvssV4_0

{'score': 6.7, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N'}


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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: harborist

Published:

Updated: 2026-11-04T21:30:32.903Z

Reserved: 2026-11-03T23:38:59.223Z

Link: CVE-2026-121747

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-11-04T22:17:54.337

Modified: 2026-11-04T22:17:54.337

Link: CVE-2026-121747

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.

Weaknesses