# CVE-2026-24131: pnpm has Path Traversal via arbitrary file permission modification

> A malicious npm package can exploit path traversal in pnpm to modify file permissions outside the package directory, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 27 Jan 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-v253-rj99-jwpq, MINI-vrcv-2x2r-858f

## What is CVE-2026-24131?

CVE-2026-24131 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in pnpm, published on 26 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

pnpm is a package manager. Prior to version 10.28.2, when pnpm processes a package's `directories.bin` field, it uses `path.join()` without validating the result stays within the package root. A malicious npm package can specify `"directories": {"bin": "../../../../tmp"}` to escape the package directory, causing pnpm to chmod 755 files at arbitrary locations. This issue only affects Unix/Linux/macOS. Windows is not affected (`fixBin` gated by `EXECUTABLE_SHEBANG_SUPPORTED`). Version 10.28.2 contains a patch.

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource), CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-24131?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including pnpm. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `pnpm` | npm | All versions | 10.28.2 |
| `pnpm` | npm | All versions | 10.28.2 |

Products: Pnpm Pnpm.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-24131?

Upgrade pnpm to 10.28.2 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-24131 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-24131 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in pnpm

- [CVE-2026-50016](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-50016/): pnpm: Transitive dependency alias path traversal allows project path override via symlink replacement (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-55698](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-55698/): pnpm: Project env lockfile can short-circuit package-manager resolution and execute lockfile-selected pnpm bytes (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2025-69264](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-69264/): pnpm v10+ Bypass "Dependency lifecycle scripts execution disabled by default" (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-26183](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-26183/): Untrusted Search Path in PNPM (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-59195](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-59195/): pnpm: Path traversal in configDependencies env lockfile allows symlink creation outside node_modules/.pnpm-config (high 8.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-24131 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-24131 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in pnpm, published on 26 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-24131 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- pnpm (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 10.28.2
- pnpm (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 10.28.2

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-2026-24131/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24131/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-24131
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-24131
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-24131

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24131/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.