# CVE-2026-101044: pacquet before 12.0.0-alpha.5 Path Traversal via lockfile alias

> Attackers can create files outside project boundaries via malicious lockfile aliases, potentially leading to code execution or data modification.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 30 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qj85-gv7w-fqmr

## What is CVE-2026-101044?

CVE-2026-101044 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in pnpm, published on 27 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

pacquet, the Rust package-manager component shipped in the pnpm npm package versions >=12.0.0-alpha.0 and <12.0.0-alpha.5, does not validate dependency alias/name paths taken from a lockfile before using them in install-time filesystem joins. When a user installs a project with an attacker-supplied lockfile using --trust-lockfile or a frozen lockfile, alias entries containing path traversal segments (for example '../../escaped-link') are used when creating dependency and package links, bin destinations, hoisted entries, and virtual-store slots, allowing symlinks and directories to be created outside the intended project and node_modules boundary. Version 12.0.0-alpha.5 validates dependency names and every virtual-store slot path with a shared safe-join containment helper before any filesystem materialization, rejecting traversal, absolute, platform-specific, and reserved names with ERR_PNPM_INVALID_DEPENDENCY_NAME.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-101044?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-101044?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-101044 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-101044 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-101044 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-101044 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-101044 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in pnpm, published on 27 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-101044 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: pnpm. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-101044/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-101044/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-101044
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-101044
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-101044

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-101044/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.