Path Traversal in Pnpm

CVE-2026-24056

pnpm is a package manager. Prior to version 10.28.2, when pnpm installs a `file:` (directory) or `git:` dependency, it follows symlinks and reads their target contents without constraining them to the package root. A malicious package containing a symlink to an absolute path (e.g., `/etc/passwd`, `~/.ssh/id_rsa`) causes pnpm to copy that file's contents into `node_modules`, leaking local data. The vulnerability only affects `file:` and `git:` dependencies. Registry packages (npm) have symlinks stripped during publish and are NOT affected. The issue impacts developers installing local/file dependencies andCI/CD pipelines installing git dependencies. It can lead to credential theft via symlinks to `~/.aws/credentials`, `~/.npmrc`, `~/.ssh/id_rsa`. Version 10.28.2 contains a patch.

Vulnerability class: Path Traversal (Directory Traversal)

EPSS: 0.005 (38.0th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

Affected products

  • Pnpm — versions < 10.28.2

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-24056?
CVE-2026-24056 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Pnpm, classified under Path Traversal. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2026-01-26.
How severe is CVE-2026-24056?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.