CVE-2026-24131: Pnpm Path Traversal Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2026-24131 is a MODERATE path traversal vulnerability (CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) affecting Pnpm libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves pnpm has path traversal via arbitrary file permission modification. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 10.28.2.
CVE-2026-24131 at a Glance
How to Fix CVE-2026-24131
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.
npm install pnpm@10.28.2Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
npm ls pnpmHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-24131, inspect your project dependencies using npm:
npm ls pnpmAnalyze 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 10.28.2), 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-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, where the product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors. 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
CVE-2026-24131 Affected Pnpm Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
pnpm
|
npm |
< 10.28.2
|
10.28.2
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-24131?
Which Pnpm versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-24131?
Is pnpm affected?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-24131?
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Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-v253-rj99-jwpq",
"modified" : "2026-01-26T21:29:58Z",
"published" : "2026-01-26T21:29:58Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-24131" ],
"summary" : "pnpm has Path Traversal via arbitrary file permission modification ",
"details" : "### Summary\nWhen pnpm processes a package's `directories.bin` field, it uses `path.join()` without validating the result stays within the package root. A malicious npm package can specify `\"directories\": {\"bin\": \"../../../../tmp\"}` to escape the package directory, causing pnpm to chmod 755 files at arbitrary locations.\n\n**Note:** Only affects Unix/Linux/macOS. Windows is not affected (`fixBin` gated by `EXECUTABLE_SHEBANG_SUPPORTED`).\n\n### Details\nVulnerable code in `pkg-manager/package-bins/src/index.ts:15-21`:\n\n```typescript\nif (manifest.directories?.bin) {\n const binDir = path.join(pkgPath, manifest.directories.bin) // NO VALIDATION\n const files = await findFiles(binDir)\n // ... files outside package returned, then chmod 755'd\n}\n```\n\nThe `bin` field IS protected with `isSubdir()` at line 53, but `directories.bin` lacks this check.\n\n### PoC\n```bash\n# Create malicious package\nmkdir /tmp/malicious-pkg\necho '{\"name\":\"malicious\",\"version\":\"1.0.0\",\"directories\":{\"bin\":\"../../../../tmp/target\"}}' > /tmp/malicious-pkg/package.json\n\n# Create sensitive file\nmkdir -p /tmp/target\necho \"secret\" > /tmp/target/secret.sh\nchmod 600 /tmp/target/secret.sh # Private\n\n# Install\npnpm add file:/tmp/malicious-pkg\n\n# Check permissions\nls -la /tmp/target/secret.sh # Now 755 (world-readable)\n```\n\n### Impact\n- Supply-chain attack via npm packages\n- File permissions changed from 600 to 755 (world-readable)\n- Affects non-dotfiles in predictable paths (dotfiles excluded by tinyglobby default)\n\n### Suggested Fix\nAdd `isSubdir` validation for `directories.bin` paths in `pkg-manager/package-bins/src/index.ts`, matching the existing validation in `commandsFromBin()`:\n\n```typescript\nif (manifest.directories?.bin) {\n const binDir = path.join(pkgPath, manifest.directories.bin)\n if (!isSubdir(pkgPath, binDir)) {\n return [] // Reject paths outside package\n }\n // ...\n}\n```",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V4",
"score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "npm",
"name" : "pnpm"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "10.28.2"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/security/advisories/GHSA-v253-rj99-jwpq"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/commit/17432ad5bbed5c2e77255ca6d56a1449bbcfd943"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/releases/tag/v10.28.2"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-732" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-01-26T21:29:58Z",
"nvd_published_at" : null
}
}