CVE-2026-49406 Deno: BYONM module resolution allows `package.json` main path traversal to bypass `--allow-read` restrictions

Medium 5.5 Published Updated

A path traversal in Deno's BYONM mode allows malicious packages to bypass read restrictions and access arbitrary files on disk.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Any signed-in user
Attackable
Local or same network only
Victim action needed
Not needed
Fix
Available

What is CVE-2026-49406?

CVE-2026-49406 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in denoland deno, published on 23 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Deno is a JavaScript, TypeScript, and WebAssembly runtime. Prior to 2.7.12, when Deno was run in BYONM mode (nodeModulesDir: "manual"), the module resolver did not validate that a package's resolved entrypoint stayed within its node_modules/<pkg>/ directory. A malicious package.json whose main field contained .. segments was able to resolve to an arbitrary path on disk, and the resolver then read that file without consulting the --allow-read allowlist. This let a require("evil-pkg") call return the contents of a file that a direct Deno.readTextFileSync(...) call would have been blocked from reading. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.7.12.

Weakness: CWE-22

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-49406?

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

PackageAffectedFixed in
deno crates.ioAll versions2.7.12
deno crates.ioAll versions2.7.12

Products include Deno Deno.

How do I fix CVE-2026-49406?

Upgrade deno to 2.7.12 or later.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2026-49406 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-49406 exists.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-968w-xfqw-vp9q, JLSEC-2026-657.

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