Critical severity · published Jan 20, 2026
CVE-2026-21636
A flaw in Node.js's permission model allows Unix Domain Socket (UDS) connections to bypass network restrictions when `--permission` is enabled
10.0
CVSS
0.9%
EPSS
No
On KEV
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.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Changed
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.9% · higher than 59% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
NO
node · nodejs
25.2.1 through 25.2.1 · source: vendor
NO
Node.js · Nodejs
25.0.0 before 25.3.0 · source: NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-21636
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-21636
Release Notes
https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/december-2025-security-releases
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