CVE-2021-21413
Versions of isolated-vm before v4.0.0 have API pitfalls which may make it easy for implementers to expose supposed secure isolates to the permissions of the main nodejs isolate.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.72%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
isolated-vm is a library for nodejs which gives you access to v8's Isolate interface. Versions of isolated-vm before v4.0.0 have API pitfalls which may make it easy for implementers to expose supposed secure isolates to the permissions of the main nodejs isolate. Reference objects allow access to the underlying reference's full prototype chain. In an environment where the implementer has exposed a Reference instance to an attacker they would be able to use it to acquire a Reference to the nodejs context's Function object. Similar application-specific attacks could be possible by modifying the local prototype of other API objects. Access to NativeModule objects could allow an attacker to load and run native code from anywhere on the filesystem. If combined with, for example, a file upload API this would allow for arbitrary code execution. This is addressed in v4.0.0 through a series of related changes.
- CVSS 3.1
- 9.6 CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 0.72% probability · 54th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-913
- Affected
- isolated-vm project/isolated-vm
- Source
- security-advisories@github.com
EPSS 0.7% since 26 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md#v400Release Notes, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/commit/2646e6c1558bac66285daeab54c7d490ed332b15Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/commit/27151bfecc260e96714443613880e3b2e6596704Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/security/advisories/GHSA-mmhj-4w6j-76h7Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md#v400Release Notes, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/commit/2646e6c1558bac66285daeab54c7d490ed332b15Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/commit/27151bfecc260e96714443613880e3b2e6596704Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/laverdet/isolated-vm/security/advisories/GHSA-mmhj-4w6j-76h7Third Party Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.