How severe is CVE-2026-71538?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-71538 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-71538?

CVE-2026-71538 affects the following packages: @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix CVE-2026-71538?

Update @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm to 6.0.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-71538 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-71538 in my npm dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-71538 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2026-71538?

O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-71538 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Is CVE-2026-71538 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-71538 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

When was CVE-2026-71538 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-71538 was published on September 17, 2026 and was last updated on September 17, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2026-71538 — @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm

Fix: CycloneDX/cyclonedx-node-npm#1489

CVE-2026-71538 is a remote code execution vulnerability in @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm. A fix is available for @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm — see the affected versions and patch details below.

@cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm: Shell Injection via Unsanitized --workspace Argument on Windows

Published

Sep 17, 2026

Updated

Sep 17, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Sep 17, 2026 · OSV.dev, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.

5other npm packages depend on this — each one inherits the vulnerability until it's patched upstream

@cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npmnpm

460Kdownloads / week

Description

Summary

A Windows-specific command injection vulnerability exists in @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm when the CLI is invoked with the --workspace <value> option.
User-supplied --workspace values can be passed to a shell command without proper neutralization on the Windows fallback execution path, enabling attackers to inject arbitrary OS commands.

The vulnerability was fixed in version [6.0.0][v6.0.0].

Vulnerability Details

When cyclonedx-npm is executed with the --workspace option, the provided argument is incorporated into an internal command execution flow.
On Windows systems, this path can interpret untrusted --workspace input as shell syntax if not safely handled.

As a result, specially crafted workspace names can break out of the intended command context and execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the invoking user.

Impact

An attacker who can influence the value passed to --workspace can execute arbitrary OS commands on Windows hosts.
This may lead to:

Arbitrary command execution
Data exfiltration
Local privilege escalation (depending on runtime context and privileges)
Modification or destruction of files accessible to the user running the CLI

The vulnerability affects only scenarios where:

The user invokes cyclonedx-npm with --workspace <value>, and
The vulnerable execution path is reached on Windows.

Exploitation Conditions (High-Level)

Exploitation requires the attacker to supply or influence the --workspace value passed to the CLI.
If the tool falls back to the vulnerable shell execution path on Windows, specially crafted workspace identifiers can cause unintended command execution.
No exploit code is included here to avoid providing weaponizable examples.

Root Cause

The CLI fallback execution path on Windows constructed a shell command using untrusted input from the --workspace option.
Because the fallback code path does not sanitize or escape the workspace value, special shell metacharacters (e.g., >, &, |) are interpreted by the shell, enabling command injection.

Fix

The vulnerability was resolved in [PR #1489], which ensures workspace values are handled safely and are no longer passed to a vulnerable shell execution path.

The fix is included in @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm version [6.0.0][v6.0.0].

Remediation

Upgrade to version [6.0.0][v6.0.0] or later, which contains the complete fix.
As a temporary mitigation for older versions, ensure that the environment variable npm_execpath is set to a npm-cli.js before invoking the tool.
Avoid passing untrusted or user-controlled values to the --workspace option.
If immediate upgrade is not possible, prioritize mitigation on Windows systems, where exploitability exists.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`@cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm`	all versions	6.0.0`npm install @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm@6.0.0`

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm to 6.0.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-71538 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-71538 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Tailored to CVE-2026-71538. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

## Summary A **Windows-specific** command injection vulnerability exists in `@cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm` when the CLI is invoked with the `--workspace <value>` option. User-supplied `--workspace` values can be passed to a shell command without proper neutralization on the Windows fallback execution path, enabling attackers to inject arbitrary OS commands. The vulnerability was fixed in version [6.0.0][v6.0.0]. ## Vulnerability Details When `cyclonedx-npm` is executed with the `--workspace` option, the provided argument is incorporated into an internal command execution flow. On **Windo

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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