---
id: CVE-2026-118905
title: >-
  nvm_ls lets an untrusted version string inject sed commands, executing
  arbitrary commands with GNU sed
summary: >-
  Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing
  multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.31.2 through 0.40.5, `nvm_ls` filters
  installed versions with a sed program that embeds the requested version
  pattern in…
severity: high
cvss: 7
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: cna
cwe:
  - CWE-78
  - CWE-94
vendor: nvm-sh
product: nvm
affected:
  - nvm >= 0.31.2 < 0.40.6
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-11-05T20:45:44.034739Z'
published: '2026-10-29'
updated: '2026-11-05'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-05T20:46:27.890Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-118905'
references:
  - url: 'https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-vgqf-vc3m-4wv3'
    label: GHSA-vgqf-vc3m-4wv3
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/82315e2b189528a006da6701eac30e8c364ffd22
    label: Fix commit 82315e2b
  - url: 'https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/pull/3854'
    label: nvm-sh/nvm#3854
  - url: 'https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/releases/tag/v0.40.6'
    label: v0.40.6
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00139
epssPercentile: 0.03289
ingestedAt: '2026-10-31T04:17:25.416Z'
---

## Overview

Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.31.2 through 0.40.5, `nvm_ls` filters installed versions with a sed program that embeds the requested version pattern in a `\#...#` address, escaping `.` (and, since 0.40.4, `#`) but not backslash. A version string containing `#` (or `\#`) therefore closes the address early, and the rest of it is parsed as sed commands: with GNU sed, the `e` command runs a shell command as the user; with BSD sed, the `w` and `r` commands write and read files. This is reachable whenever an attacker-influenced version string is passed to `nvm use`, `nvm which`, `nvm ls`, `nvm version`, `nvm run`, or `nvm exec`, or to `nvm-exec` via `NODE_VERSION`, and at least one version is installed. nvm's own `.nvmrc` parser strips comments, so a bare `nvm use` is not affected; however, the bash `cdnvm` and zsh `load-nvmrc` auto-switch hooks documented in the README read `.nvmrc` as-is and pass it to `nvm ls` and `nvm version`, so a user with one of those hooks installed runs the attacker's command just by changing into a directory under a malicious `.nvmrc`; scripts that run `nvm use "$(cat .nvmrc)"` are affected the same way. Version 0.40.6 passes any version pattern containing `#` or a newline through the `.nvmrc` content parser first, so no `#` reaches the sed program.

## Affected

- `nvm >= 0.31.2 < 0.40.6`

## Remediation

Upgrade to nvm 0.40.6 or later.

### Workarounds

Until upgrading, do not pass untrusted version strings to nvm, and use nvm's own `.nvmrc` handling (a bare `nvm use`) instead of reading `.nvmrc` yourself, including in shell auto-switch hooks.