CVE-2026-101043
Received Received - Intake

Environment Variable Injection in pnpm Workspace Configuration

Publication date: 2026-09-27

Last updated on: 2026-09-27

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
pnpm versions 11.0.0 before 11.11.0 and 10.7.0 before 10.34.5 expand ${VAR} environment-variable placeholders in the httpProxy, httpsProxy, and noProxy settings read from a project's pnpm-workspace.yaml. Because the manifest is repository-controlled and the proxy keys were omitted from the request-destination key set that otherwise suppresses placeholder expansion for untrusted manifests (as already done for registry, pnprServer, registries and namedRegistries), an attacker who controls a repository's pnpm-workspace.yaml can cause a victim who clones the repository and runs a pnpm command (e.g. pnpm install) to expand environment secrets such as NPM_TOKEN or GITHUB_TOKEN into a proxy hostname or userinfo and route install traffic — and the corresponding DNS lookups — through an attacker-controlled host. The exfiltration occurs during configuration loading, before any lifecycle script executes. Fixed in pnpm 11.11.0 and 10.34.5.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-27
Last Modified
2026-09-27
Generated
2026-09-27
AI Q&A
2026-09-27
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-101043
EUVD
EUVD-2026-87974

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 4 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
pnpm pnpm to 11.11.0 (exc)
pnpm pnpm to 10.34.5 (exc)
pnpm pnpm to 11.10.0 (exc)
pnpm pnpm to 10.34.4 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-201 The code transmits data to another actor, but a portion of the data includes sensitive information that should not be accessible to that actor.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects pnpm versions 11.0.0 to 11.11.0 and 10.7.0 to 10.34.5. It involves environment variable exfiltration via proxy settings in a project's pnpm-workspace.yaml file. Attackers can manipulate environment-variable placeholders like ${NPM_TOKEN} or ${GITHUB_TOKEN} in httpProxy, httpsProxy, or noProxy settings to expose sensitive secrets. When a victim runs pnpm install, the placeholder expands into a proxy hostname or userinfo, routing install traffic and DNS lookups through an attacker-controlled host.

Detection Guidance

Check pnpm version with 'pnpm --version'. If using versions 11.0.0 to 11.11.0 or 10.7.0 to 10.34.5, the system is vulnerable. Inspect pnpm-workspace.yaml for httpProxy, httpsProxy, or noProxy settings containing ${VAR} placeholders.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to the exposure of sensitive environment secrets such as NPM_TOKEN or GITHUB_TOKEN. Attackers can intercept install traffic and DNS lookups by routing them through their own servers. The impact occurs during configuration loading, before any scripts execute, making it difficult to detect. Victims may unknowingly leak credentials used in CI/CD pipelines or development environments.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized exposure of sensitive data, which may violate compliance requirements under GDPR, HIPAA, or other regulations. GDPR requires protecting personal data, while HIPAA mandates safeguarding protected health information. Unauthorized exfiltration of credentials or tokens could result in data breaches, leading to legal penalties, reputational damage, and loss of trust.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade pnpm to version 11.11.0 or later, or 10.34.5 or later. Avoid running pnpm commands in untrusted repositories until upgraded. Review proxy settings in pnpm-workspace.yaml for suspicious placeholders.

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