BaseFortify

Publication date: 2026-01-26

Last updated on: 2026-01-28

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

pnpm is a package manager. Prior to version 10.28.1, a path traversal vulnerability in pnpm's bin linking allows malicious npm packages to create executable shims or symlinks outside of `node_modules/.bin`. Bin names starting with `@` bypass validation, and after scope normalization, path traversal sequences like `../../` remain intact. This issue affects all pnpm users who install npm packages and CI/CD pipelines using pnpm. It can lead to overwriting config files, scripts, or other sensitive files. Version 10.28.1 contains a patch.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-01-26

Last Modified

2026-01-28

Generated

2026-06-30

AI Q&A

2026-01-27

EPSS Evaluated

2026-06-29

NVD

CVE-2026-23890

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
pnpm	pnpm	to 10.28.1 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-23	The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize sequences such as ".." that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a path traversal issue in pnpm's bin linking process prior to version 10.28.1. It allows malicious npm packages to create executable shims or symlinks outside of the intended 'node_modules/.bin' directory. Bin names starting with '@' bypass validation, and path traversal sequences like '../../' remain after scope normalization, enabling attackers to place files in unintended locations.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can lead to overwriting configuration files, scripts, or other sensitive files on the system. This can compromise the integrity of the environment where pnpm is used, potentially allowing attackers to execute malicious code or disrupt CI/CD pipelines and development workflows.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade pnpm to version 10.28.1 or later, as this version contains a patch that fixes the path traversal vulnerability in pnpm's bin linking.

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