CVE-2022-26183: Pnpm Untrusted Search Path Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9m87-6fj3-c5xh
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-426
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-26183 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) untrusted search path vulnerability (CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path) affecting Pnpm libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves untrusted search path in pnpm. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.15.1.

CVE-2022-26183 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-26183
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9m87-6fj3-c5xh
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
Affected Product Pnpm
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-26183

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pnpm dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

pnpm fixed: 6.15.1 
npm install pnpm@6.15.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls pnpm

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-26183, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls pnpm

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pnpm in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.15.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls pnpm command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path, where the product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control. In Pnpm, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

PNPM prior to v6.15.1 was discovered to contain an untrusted search path which causes the application to behave in unexpected ways when users execute PNPM commands in a directory containing malicious content. This vulnerability occurs when the application is ran on Windows OS.

CVE-2022-26183 Affected Pnpm Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.15.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pnpm
npm/pnpm
npm
< 6.15.1
6.15.1

References

NVD — CVE-2022-26183 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-26183
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/commit/04b7f60861ddee8331e50d70e193d1e701abeefb
Pnpm Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm
Pnpm Release RELEASE
https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/releases/tag/v6.15.1
www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-devel... WEB
https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-developer-tools-package-managers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-26183?
CVE-2022-26183 is a security vulnerability in Pnpm involving Untrusted Search Path in PNPM under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path.
Which Pnpm versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.15.1 across affected packages: pnpm.
What version fixes CVE-2022-26183?
Upgrading to 6.15.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pnpm affected?
Yes, pnpm is affected in releases prior to 6.15.1. Upgrade your dependency to 6.15.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-26183?
CVE-2022-26183 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-26183?
CVE-2022-26183 is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path (The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2022-26183?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls pnpm'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9m87-6fj3-c5xh",
  "modified" : "2022-03-30T21:04:52Z",
  "published" : "2022-03-23T00:00:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-26183" ],
  "summary" : "Untrusted Search Path in PNPM",
  "details" : "PNPM prior to v6.15.1 was discovered to contain an untrusted search path which causes the application to behave in unexpected ways when users execute PNPM commands in a directory containing malicious content. This vulnerability occurs when the application is ran on Windows OS.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "pnpm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.15.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-26183"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/commit/04b7f60861ddee8331e50d70e193d1e701abeefb"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/releases/tag/v6.15.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-developer-tools-package-managers"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-426" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-03-29T13:11:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-03-21T22:15:00Z"
  }
}