---
id: CVE-2026-121745
title: nvm exposes NVM_AUTH_HEADER to other local users on the curl/wget command line
summary: >-
  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, when
  `NVM_AUTH_HEADER` is set, `nvm_download` passes the credential to curl or wget
  as a `--header …
severity: low
cvss: 2.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N'
cvssSource: cna
cwe:
  - CWE-214
vendor: nvm-sh
product: nvm
affected:
  - nvm >= 0.40.0 < 0.41.0
published: '2026-11-04'
updated: '2026-11-04'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-04T21:28:03.234Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-121745'
references:
  - url: 'https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-h3c2-g6gc-6cgx'
    label: GHSA-h3c2-g6gc-6cgx
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/903e3493699399d049f3af445c2d81688b6a7f5c
    label: Fix commit 903e3493
tags:
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-11-05T21:36:00.615Z'
---

## Overview

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, when `NVM_AUTH_HEADER` is set, `nvm_download` passes the credential to curl or wget as a `--header "Authorization: ..."` command-line argument. Process arguments are visible to every local user (on Linux via `ps` or `/proc//cmdline` unless `/proc` is mounted with `hidepid=`; on macOS via `ps`), so another unprivileged account on the same machine can read the token while nvm is downloading during `nvm ls-remote`, `nvm install`, and similar commands, and gain whatever access it grants on the private mirror. Only users who set `NVM_AUTH_HEADER` on a host shared with other local accounts are affected. Version 0.41.0 passes the header to curl on stdin and to GNU Wget in a private temporary config file. BusyBox wget reads no config file, so when it is the only downloader available the header is still passed as an argument.

## Affected

- `nvm >= 0.40.0 < 0.41.0`

## Remediation

Upgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later, and on a machine shared with other local users make sure curl or GNU Wget is installed (BusyBox wget still receives the header as an argument).

### Workarounds

Until upgrading, do not set `NVM_AUTH_HEADER` on machines shared with other local users, or mount `/proc` with `hidepid=2` on Linux.