{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-121746","assignerOrgId":"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158","state":"PUBLISHED","assignerShortName":"harborist","dateReserved":"2026-11-03T23:38:59.223Z","datePublished":"2026-11-04T21:31:57.022Z","dateUpdated":"2026-11-04T21:31:57.022Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"7ffcee3d-2c14-4c3e-b844-86c6a321a158","shortName":"harborist","dateUpdated":"2026-11-04T21:31:57.022Z"},"title":"nvm use --save and nvm install --save write through a symlinked .nvmrc, overwriting any file the user can write","problemTypes":[{"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","cweId":"CWE-59","description":"CWE-59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')","type":"CWE"}]}],"affected":[{"vendor":"nvm-sh","product":"nvm","repo":"https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm","versions":[{"status":"affected","version":"0.40.0","lessThan":"0.41.0","versionType":"semver"}],"defaultStatus":"unaffected"}],"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"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, `nvm use --save` and `nvm install --save` (or `-w`) write the resolved version to `$PWD/.nvmrc` with `tee`, which follows a symbolic link. A repository that commits `.nvmrc` as a symlink to a path outside itself (git recreates the link on clone) therefore makes `--save` truncate any file the user can write, such as a shell startup file or `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`, and replace its contents with the version string, or create the target of a dangling link; the link itself is left unchanged, so `git status` stays clean. The attacker does not control the content written, so this is data loss, not code execution. Version 0.41.0 refuses, with a warning, to write when `.nvmrc` in the current directory is a symlink, dangling or not, rather than writing through it or replacing it.","supportingMedia":[{"type":"text/html","base64":false,"value":"<p>Node Version Manager (nvm) is a POSIX-compliant shell function for managing multiple node.js versions. In versions 0.40.0 through 0.40.8, `nvm use --save` and `nvm install --save` (or `-w`) write the resolved version to `$PWD/.nvmrc` with `tee`, which follows a symbolic link. A repository that commits `.nvmrc` as a symlink to a path outside itself (git recreates the link on clone) therefore makes `--save` truncate any file the user can write, such as a shell startup file or `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`, and replace its contents with the version string, or create the target of a dangling link; the link itself is left unchanged, so `git status` stays clean. The attacker does not control the content written, so this is data loss, not code execution. Version 0.41.0 refuses, with a warning, to write when `.nvmrc` in the current directory is a symlink, dangling or not, rather than writing through it or replacing it.</p>"}]}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/security/advisories/GHSA-8qjx-8r8m-mpqh","name":"GHSA-8qjx-8r8m-mpqh","tags":["vendor-advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/commit/3f8411e58d40b904e4ff6a96512391f56bd95bf7","name":"Fix commit 3f8411e5","tags":["patch"]}],"metrics":[{"format":"CVSS","scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"GENERAL"}],"cvssV4_0":{"attackVector":"LOCAL","attackComplexity":"LOW","attackRequirements":"NONE","privilegesRequired":"NONE","userInteraction":"ACTIVE","vulnConfidentialityImpact":"NONE","subConfidentialityImpact":"NONE","vulnIntegrityImpact":"HIGH","subIntegrityImpact":"NONE","vulnAvailabilityImpact":"NONE","subAvailabilityImpact":"NONE","exploitMaturity":"NOT_DEFINED","Safety":"NOT_DEFINED","Automatable":"NOT_DEFINED","Recovery":"NOT_DEFINED","valueDensity":"NOT_DEFINED","vulnerabilityResponseEffort":"NOT_DEFINED","providerUrgency":"NOT_DEFINED","version":"4.0","baseSeverity":"MEDIUM","baseScore":6.7,"vectorString":"CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"}},{"format":"CVSS","scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"GENERAL"}],"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","attackVector":"LOCAL","attackComplexity":"LOW","privilegesRequired":"NONE","userInteraction":"REQUIRED","scope":"UNCHANGED","confidentialityImpact":"NONE","integrityImpact":"HIGH","availabilityImpact":"NONE","baseSeverity":"MEDIUM","baseScore":5.5,"vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"}}],"workarounds":[{"lang":"en","value":"Until upgrading, check that `.nvmrc` is not a symlink (`ls -l .nvmrc`) before running `nvm use --save` or `nvm install --save` in an untrusted project directory.","supportingMedia":[{"type":"text/html","base64":false,"value":"<p>Until upgrading, check that `.nvmrc` is not a symlink (`ls -l .nvmrc`) before running `nvm use --save` or `nvm install --save` in an untrusted project directory.</p>"}]}],"solutions":[{"lang":"en","value":"Upgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later.","supportingMedia":[{"type":"text/html","base64":false,"value":"<p>Upgrade to nvm 0.41.0 or later.</p>"}]}],"credits":[{"lang":"en","value":"Adel Assakaf (https://github.com/assakafpix)","type":"finder"},{"lang":"en","value":"Anthropic's OSS Scanner, as part of vulnerability ANT-2026-G9REVGKT","type":"finder"},{"lang":"en","value":"Jordan Harband (https://github.com/ljharb)","type":"remediation developer"}],"source":{"advisory":"GHSA-8qjx-8r8m-mpqh","discovery":"EXTERNAL"}}}}