nvm exposes NVM_AUTH_HEADER to other local users on the curl/wget command line
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-121745 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | harborist |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-11-04 22:17:53 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-11-04 22:17:53 UTC |
| Description | 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. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 2 LOW from 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Problem Types: CWE-214 | CWE-214 CWE-214 Invocation of Process Using Visible Sensitive Information
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158 | Secondary | 2 | LOW | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 2 | LOW | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| 3.1 | 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158 | Secondary | 2.5 | LOW | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 2.5 | LOW | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/903e3493699399d049f3af445c2d81688b6a7f5c | 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158 | github.com | |
| github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-h3c2-g6gc-6cgx | 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158 | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Anthropic's OSS Scanner, as vulnerability ANT-2026-540RL2U6 (en)
CNA: Jordan Harband (https://github.com/ljharb) (en)
Additional Advisory Data
Solutions
CNA: 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
CNA: Until upgrading, do not set `NVM_AUTH_HEADER` on machines shared with other local users, or mount `/proc` with `hidepid=2` on Linux.