CVE-2026-121747: nvm prints the contents of any readable file through a symlinked .nvmrc

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 7.7 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.

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 (3)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 0.2.0 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 prints the contents of any readable file through a symlinked .nvmrc

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.

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

What to do

Advisories and patches

• Fix commit 67268ebc (Patch)
• Fix commit c314f1cb (Patch)
• GHSA-j6ch-mq5c-3h4x (Vendor advisory)

Workaround (from the CVE record)

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.

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