CVE-2026-121746: nvm use --save and nvm install --save write through a symlinked .nvmrc, overwriting any file the user can write

Is it exploited?

Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of 10 Nov 2026. If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

0.2%

EPSS score, percentile 6.3 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.

CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record lists exploitation as poc.

How severe?

6.7 Medium

CVSS v4.0 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

Upgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later.Solution from the CVE record.

CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.

Advisories and patches (2)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 0.40.0 to before 0.41.0

Versions by product

Source: CISA KEV 2026.11.10, as of 10 Nov 2026; FIRST EPSS, as of 12 Nov 2026; CVE List, as of 12 Nov 2026. About the data.

Description

nvm use --save and nvm install --save write through a symlinked .nvmrc, overwriting any file the user can write

Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.40.0 through 0.40.8, `nvm use --save` and `nvm install --save` (or `-w`) write the resolved version to `$PWD/.nvmrc` with `tee`, which follows a symbolic link. A repository that commits `.nvmrc` as a symlink to a path outside itself (git recreates the link on clone) therefore makes `--save` truncate any file the user can write, such as a shell startup file or `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`, and replace its contents with the version string, or create the target of a dangling link; the link itself is left unchanged, so `git status` stays clean. The attacker does not control the content written, so this is data loss, not code execution. Version 0.41.0 refuses, with a warning, to write when `.nvmrc` in the current directory is a symlink, dangling or not, rather than writing through it or replacing it.

Source: CVE List, as of 12 Nov 2026. About the data.

What to do

Advisories and patches

• Fix commit 3f8411e5 (Patch)
• GHSA-8qjx-8r8m-mpqh (Vendor advisory)

Workaround (from the CVE record)

Until upgrading, check that `.nvmrc` is not a symlink (`ls -l .nvmrc`) before running `nvm use --save` or `nvm install --save` in an untrusted project directory.

This summary is based on the CVE record as of 12 Nov 2026. Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.

Affected products and versions

Source: CVE List, as of 12 Nov 2026. About the data.

Timeline