CVE-2026-21636
Published: January 18, 2026Last modified: February 13, 2026
Description
A flaw in Node.js's permission model allows Unix Domain Socket (UDS) connections to bypass network restrictions when `--permission` is enabled. Even without `--allow-net`, attacker-controlled inputs (such as URLs or socketPath options) can connect to arbitrary local sockets via net, tls, or undici/fetch. This breaks the intended security boundary of the permission model and enables access to privileged local services, potentially leading to privilege escalation, data exposure, or local code execution. * The issue affects users of the Node.js permission model on version v25. In the moment of this vulnerability, network permissions (`--allow-net`) are still in the experimental phase.
Severity score breakdown
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base score | 10 |
| Attack Vector | NETWORK |
| Attack complexity | LOW |
| Privileges required | NONE |
| User interaction | NONE |
| Scope | CHANGED |
| Confidentiality | HIGH |
| Integrity impact | HIGH |
| Availability impact | HIGH |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
Status
| Product | Release | Package | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpaquita Linux | 23 LTS | nodejs | Not affected (18.16.0-r0) |
| 25 LTS | nodejs | Not affected (22.16.0-r1) | |
| Stream | nodejs | Not affected (18.16.1-r0) | |
| Hardened Containers | Stream | nodejs | Not affected (18.16.1-r0) |