GHSA-vq4v-j7r6-jq4m

    Dashboard / Vulnerabilities / GHSA-vq4v-j7r6-jq4m

    GHSA-vq4v-j7r6-jq4m

    Published: 2 Sept 2026Last Modified: 2 Sept 2026

    Summary: pnpm: A tarball dependency's manifest `name` escapes node_modules → arbitrary file write/overwrite on install

    Details: ## Summary When resolving a package, pnpm uses the resolved **manifest `name`** as a raw path segment for the isolated-linker import target. A tarball dependency whose `package.json` `name` is a scoped path traversal (`@x/../../…/<abs path>`) is therefore extracted **outside `node_modules`**, to an attacker-chosen absolute path, and can **overwrite existing files** there. Attacker controls the destination, filenames, and contents → arbitrary file write → **code execution** (e.g. `~/.zshrc`, `.git/hooks/pre-commit`, another package's code). Occurs during `pnpm install` **even with `--ignore-scripts`** (no lifecycle scripts run), defeating that safety. Same class as the just-patched **GHSA-hwx4** (transitive-dependency *alias* traversal) and **GHSA-v23m** (`stage download` manifest name/version traversal), in a sink their fixes did not cover: the isolated-linker import target keyed by the resolved **name**. ## Root cause - The isolated-linker import target is built with a raw `path.join(modules, <resolved name>)` in `installing/deps-resolver/src/resolvePeers.ts:706`, `installing/deps-resolver/src/index.ts:614`, and `deps/graph-builder/src/lockfileToDepGraph.ts:233` — **without** the `safeJoinModulesDir` guard used on the symlink/hoisted/bin paths (`installing/deps-restorer/src/lockfileToHoistedDepGraph.ts:222`). The store location is `node_modules/.pnpm/<id>/node_modules/<name>`, so a traversal `<name>` escapes. - The only resolve-time name gate (`resolving/npm-resolver/src/pickPackage.ts:753`) rejects only *unscoped* names containing `/`, so a **scoped** `@x/../..` passes. ## Steps to reproduce Self-contained PoC (real `[email protected]`; loopback tarball server; escape target is a throwaway temp dir): ``` npm i [email protected] # host a tarball whose package.json name = "@x/"+"../".repeat(25)+"<abs>/OUTSIDE"; victim depends on the http URL pnpm install --ignore-scripts ``` Confirmed output (`repro/poc.mjs`, exit 0): ``` escape dir is outside the project : true new file implanted outside node_modules : true pre-existing file OVERWRITTEN : true *** CONFIRMED: a tarball dependency wrote & overwrote files OUTSIDE the project during `pnpm install --ignore-scripts` *** ``` ## Remediation Route the isolated-linker import-target joins (`resolvePeers.ts:706`, `deps-resolver/index.ts:614`, `lockfileToDepGraph.ts:233`) through `safeJoinModulesDir` (as the hoisted linker already does), and/or enforce `validate-npm-package-name` on the resolved manifest name (close the scoped-name gap at `pickPackage.ts:753`) so the import target rejects a traversal name and re-asserts containment before any write.

    Affected packages

    Package

    Name: pnpm

    Purl: pkg:npm/pnpm

    Affected ranges

    Type: SEMVER

    Events:

    Introduced- 0
    Fixed -10.34.5

    Affected versions

    Common Vulnerability Scoring System

    Attack Vector
    Network
    Adjacent
    Local
    Physical
    Privileges Required
    None
    Low
    High
    User Interaction
    None
    Required
    Scope
    Unchanged
    Changed
    Confidentiality
    None
    Low
    High
    Integrity
    None
    Low
    High
    Availability
    None
    Low
    High
    GHSA-vq4v-j7r6-jq4m | CVE-DB