Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-1665 affects nvm, a common Node.js version manager. If an attacker can control a user’s environment variables, they may cause commands to run when nvm downloads data using wget. This is most relevant to developer workstations and CI/CD systems with untrusted configuration, images, or dotfiles.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted developer-toolchain risk, not a broad internet-facing emergency. Prioritize CI/CD runners and developer environments handling production code or secrets, because successful exploitation could execute commands under that user context.
Technical view
nvm 0.40.3 and below are described as vulnerable. nvm_download() used eval for wget command execution, and NVM_AUTH_HEADER was not sanitized on the wget path, unlike curl. Exploitation requires local/environment influence and user interaction, such as running nvm install or nvm ls-remote. The listed fix is commit 44e2590 and release v0.40.4.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where nvm is installed on developer machines, build agents, containers, or CI jobs that use wget and accept inherited environment variables. Systems using only trusted shell profiles and pinned clean CI images have lower exposure.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV, and the provided sources do not state active exploitation. Abuse requires the attacker to set or influence NVM_AUTH_HEADER in the victim environment and for the victim to run an nvm command that triggers a download via wget.
Researcher notes
Key conditions are attacker-controlled environment variables, wget code path, and an nvm download-triggering command. The source bundle states 0.40.3 and below are affected and v0.40.4 contains the fix. The affected-version metadata appears inconsistent, so confirm against upstream release and CVE records.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade nvm to v0.40.4 or later per the release reference.
- Review CI/CD variables, dotfiles, and container images for untrusted NVM_AUTH_HEADER settings.
- Prefer trusted build images and avoid inheriting unreviewed shell environment variables.
- Check nvm project guidance for any additional vendor recommendations.
Validation and detection
- Inventory nvm versions on developer endpoints and build runners.
- Confirm whether nvm version is 0.40.3 or below.
- Identify jobs or shells where NVM_AUTH_HEADER is set.
- Determine whether affected environments use wget for nvm downloads.
- Verify upgrade to v0.40.4 or later after remediation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-95: Code execution behavior lookup
Code execution and unsafe deserialization weaknesses often justify reviewing execution behavior and process telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupContainer behavior lookup
The affected technology mentions containers, so container-specific ATT&CK technique review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-1665 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.4 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
5.4MediumVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- Fix commitCVE reference · patch
- Release v0.40.4CVE reference · release-notes
- nvm GitHub repositoryCVE reference · product
- https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm/pull/3380CVE reference · x_introduced
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.