CVE-2026-121748 (GCVE-0-2026-121748)
Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-11-04 21:29 – Updated: 2026-11-04 21:29
VLAI
EPSS
VEX
Title
nvm use --delete-prefix lets a project .npmrc choose which file npm rewrites or makes world-writable
Summary
Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.27.0 through 0.40.8, when a project's `.npmrc` sets `prefix`, `nvm use` tells the user to run `nvm use --delete-prefix`, which runs `npm config delete prefix` and `npm config delete globalconfig` in the current directory without naming a config file. npm loads the project `.npmrc` before deciding which file to edit, so that file chooses the target: `userconfig=~/.bashrc` makes npm rewrite `~/.bashrc` as ini (corrupting it), and `location=global` with `globalconfig=` leaves the chosen file at mode 0666, which on a shared machine lets another local user write to it. The attacker (the author of a cloned repository or archive, or a local user who can write a shared parent directory) chooses the file but not the bytes written, and no project code runs. Version 0.41.0 no longer lets a project `.npmrc` select which config file `--delete-prefix` edits.
Severity
CWE
- CWE-73 - External Control of File Name or Path
Assigner
References
2 references
| URL | Tags |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories… | vendor-advisory |
| https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/4049296ca8ee… | patch |
Impacted products
{
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"affected": [
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"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"product": "nvm",
"repo": "https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm",
"vendor": "nvm-sh",
"versions": [
{
"lessThan": "0.41.0",
"status": "affected",
"version": "0.27.0",
"versionType": "semver"
}
]
}
],
"credits": [
{
"lang": "en",
"type": "finder",
"value": "Anthropic\u0027s OSS Scanner, as vulnerability ANT-2026-WYRTKBQ5"
},
{
"lang": "en",
"type": "remediation developer",
"value": "Jordan Harband (https://github.com/ljharb)"
}
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"value": "\u003cp\u003eNode Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.27.0 through 0.40.8, when a project\u0027s `.npmrc` sets `prefix`, `nvm use` tells the user to run `nvm use --delete-prefix`, which runs `npm config delete prefix` and `npm config delete globalconfig` in the current directory without naming a config file. npm loads the project `.npmrc` before deciding which file to edit, so that file chooses the target: `userconfig=~/.bashrc` makes npm rewrite `~/.bashrc` as ini (corrupting it), and `location=global` with `globalconfig=` leaves the chosen file at mode 0666, which on a shared machine lets another local user write to it. The attacker (the author of a cloned repository or archive, or a local user who can write a shared parent directory) chooses the file but not the bytes written, and no project code runs. Version 0.41.0 no longer lets a project `.npmrc` select which config file `--delete-prefix` edits.\u003c/p\u003e"
}
],
"value": "Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.27.0 through 0.40.8, when a project\u0027s `.npmrc` sets `prefix`, `nvm use` tells the user to run `nvm use --delete-prefix`, which runs `npm config delete prefix` and `npm config delete globalconfig` in the current directory without naming a config file. npm loads the project `.npmrc` before deciding which file to edit, so that file chooses the target: `userconfig=~/.bashrc` makes npm rewrite `~/.bashrc` as ini (corrupting it), and `location=global` with `globalconfig=` leaves the chosen file at mode 0666, which on a shared machine lets another local user write to it. The attacker (the author of a cloned repository or archive, or a local user who can write a shared parent directory) chooses the file but not the bytes written, and no project code runs. Version 0.41.0 no longer lets a project `.npmrc` select which config file `--delete-prefix` edits."
}
],
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"attackVector": "LOCAL",
"baseScore": 1.8,
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"userInteraction": "ACTIVE",
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"problemTypes": [
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"descriptions": [
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"providerMetadata": {
"dateUpdated": "2026-11-04T21:29:25.656Z",
"orgId": "7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158",
"shortName": "harborist"
},
"references": [
{
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"tags": [
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],
"url": "https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-ccgf-7gv4-xg5h"
},
{
"name": "Fix commit 4049296c",
"tags": [
"patch"
],
"url": "https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/4049296ca8eef2067517d8cfd5ef5c0e615daa10"
}
],
"solutions": [
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"value": "\u003cp\u003eUpgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later.\u003c/p\u003e"
}
],
"value": "Upgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later."
}
],
"source": {
"advisory": "GHSA-ccgf-7gv4-xg5h",
"discovery": "EXTERNAL"
},
"title": "nvm use --delete-prefix lets a project .npmrc choose which file npm rewrites or makes world-writable",
"workarounds": [
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"lang": "en",
"supportingMedia": [
{
"base64": false,
"type": "text/html",
"value": "\u003cp\u003eUntil upgrading, do not run `nvm use --delete-prefix` in an untrusted project directory; remove the `prefix` setting from your own npmrc files by hand instead.\u003c/p\u003e"
}
],
"value": "Until upgrading, do not run `nvm use --delete-prefix` in an untrusted project directory; remove the `prefix` setting from your own npmrc files by hand instead."
}
]
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"assignerShortName": "harborist",
"cveId": "CVE-2026-121748",
"datePublished": "2026-11-04T21:29:25.656Z",
"dateReserved": "2026-11-03T23:38:59.224Z",
"dateUpdated": "2026-11-04T21:29:25.656Z",
"state": "PUBLISHED"
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"dataVersion": "5.2",
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"date": "2026-11-05",
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}
],
"id": "CVE-2026-121748",
"lastModified": "2026-11-04T22:17:54.523",
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"modifiedAttackVector": "NOT_DEFINED",
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"modifiedSubAvailabilityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED",
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"published": "2026-11-04T22:17:54.523",
"references": [
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"source": "7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158",
"url": "https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/4049296ca8eef2067517d8cfd5ef5c0e615daa10"
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}
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Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.
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