# CVE-2026-23890: pnpm scoped bin name path traversal

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-23890-pnpm-scoped-bin-name-path-traversal  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-01-26. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-23890 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2026-01-26

pnpm is a package manager used to install and manage dependencies for Node.js projects. A path traversal vulnerability in its bin linking mechanism allows malicious npm packages to create or overwrite files outside the intended node_modules/.bin directory, potentially enabling attackers to modify configuration files, scripts, or other sensitive files on a developer's system or in CI/CD pipelines.

Technologies: [pnpm (npm)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/pnpm). Vendors: [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-23890 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-23890 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-23890?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 26 January 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** pnpm (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=10.28.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-23890?** Yes. pnpm (npm): upgrade to 10.28.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-23890 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-23890?** Check whether you run pnpm (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- pnpm (npm): upgrade to 10.28.1 or later

  ```sh
  npm install pnpm@10.28.1
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability is a path traversal (CWE-22) in pnpm's bin name validation and normalization logic. Bin names starting with "@" bypass the validation filter, and the normalizeBinName function incompletely strips the scope prefix, preserving path traversal sequences like "../../" in the resulting name. When the normalized name is used directly in path.join() without further validation, an attacker can craft a malicious npm package with a bin entry like "@scope/../../.npmrc" that, after normalization, becomes "../../.npmrc", allowing file creation outside node_modules/.bin. The attack requires a user to install the malicious package, but no authentication or special privileges are required. The vulnerability affects all pnpm versions up to 10.28.0; version 10.28.1 and later contain fixes.

## Affected products

- pnpm pnpm <= 10.28.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-23890
- GHSA-xpqm-wm3m-f34h

## Timeline

- 2026-01-26: disclosed
- 2026-01-26: patched: pnpm version 10.28.1 released with fix

## References

- [https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/security/advisories/GHSA-xpqm-wm3m-f34h](https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/security/advisories/GHSA-xpqm-wm3m-f34h)

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- [pnpm pacquet path traversal in lockfile dependency symlinks](https://junglewise.ai/threats/pnpm-pacquet-path-traversal-in-lockfile-dependency-symlinks-dc3f81d1)
- [pnpm tarball dependency manifest name path traversal arbitrary file write](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-82393-pnpm-tarball-dependency-manifest-name-path-traversal-arbitrary)
- [pnpm virtual store linker path traversal via unvalidated depPath](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-82392-pnpm-virtual-store-linker-path-traversal-via-unvalidated-deppath)
- [pnpm path traversal via crafted lockfile alias](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-59196-pnpm-path-traversal-via-crafted-lockfile-alias)