nvm use --delete-prefix lets a project .npmrc choose which file npm rewrites or makes world-writable
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-121748 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | harborist |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-11-04 22:17:54 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-11-04 22:17:54 UTC |
| Description | Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.27.0 through 0.40.8, when a project's `.npmrc` sets `prefix`, `nvm use` tells the user to run `nvm use --delete-prefix`, which runs `npm config delete prefix` and `npm config delete globalconfig` in the current directory without naming a config file. npm loads the project `.npmrc` before deciding which file to edit, so that file chooses the target: `userconfig=~/.bashrc` makes npm rewrite `~/.bashrc` as ini (corrupting it), and `location=global` with `globalconfig=` leaves the chosen file at mode 0666, which on a shared machine lets another local user write to it. The attacker (the author of a cloned repository or archive, or a local user who can write a shared parent directory) chooses the file but not the bytes written, and no project code runs. Version 0.41.0 no longer lets a project `.npmrc` select which config file `--delete-prefix` edits. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 1.8 LOW from 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/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-73 | CWE-73 CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158 | Secondary | 1.8 | LOW | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 1.8 | LOW | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| 3.1 | 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158 | Secondary | 3.6 | LOW | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 3.6 | LOW | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-ccgf-7gv4-xg5h | 7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158 | github.com | |
| github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/4049296ca8eef2067517d8cfd5ef5c0e615daa10 | 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-WYRTKBQ5 (en)
CNA: Jordan Harband (https://github.com/ljharb) (en)
Additional Advisory Data
Solutions
CNA: Upgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later.
Workarounds
CNA: Until upgrading, do not run `nvm use --delete-prefix` in an untrusted project directory; remove the `prefix` setting from your own npmrc files by hand instead.