GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv
HIGHGHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) Path Traversal vulnerability in pnpm. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
pnpm: Hoisted install imports lockfile alias outside node_modules
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 369,023 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
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.
pnpmnpmDescription
Summary
The hoisted dependency alias issue tracked as GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv / CAND-PNPM-059 has been addressed in both pnpm and pacquet.
A crafted lockfile alias could be joined directly under a hoisted node_modules directory. Traversal aliases could escape that directory, while reserved aliases such as .bin or .pnpm could overwrite pnpm-owned layout. This patch validates package-name semantics and path containment before graph insertion or filesystem work.
Security boundary
- The TypeScript hoisted graph uses the shared safe join helper at the actual
dep.namesink. - The helper rejects traversal, absolute, platform-specific, and reserved package names.
- Pacquet validates the hoister's
dep.0.namebefore adding the graph node or recursing. - Both implementations return
ERR_PNPM_INVALID_DEPENDENCY_NAME. - Pacquet uses the same dependency-name containment rule at its hoisted graph sink as it uses for direct dependency aliases.
Exploit replay
Before the patch, a traversal alias in a hoisted lockfile imported package files outside the intended install root. With this patch, both pnpm and pacquet reject the alias before graph insertion or filesystem work, and the escaped file is not created.
Files changed
fs/symlink-dependency/src/safeJoinModulesDir.tsprovides the TypeScript containment helper.installing/deps-restorer/src/lockfileToHoistedDepGraph.tsvalidates the parsed dependency name at the hoisted graph sink.pacquet/crates/package-manager/src/{hoisted_dep_graph.rs,safe_join_modules_dir.rs}mirrors that boundary in Rust.- TypeScript and Rust tests cover traversal, reserved aliases, and valid scoped names.
Commands run
$ pnpm --filter @pnpm/fs.symlink-dependency test
PASS: 24 tests
$ pnpm --filter @pnpm/installing.deps-restorer test test/index.ts
PASS: exploit regression and positive install control
$ cargo test --locked -p pacquet-package-manager --lib
PASS: 426 tests
$ cargo fmt --all -- --check
PASS
Validation
- TypeScript symlink helper: 24 passed.
- TypeScript exploit regression: 1 passed.
- TypeScript positive hoisted-install control: 1 passed.
- Targeted strict TypeScript compiles: passed.
- Targeted ESLint: zero errors.
- Pacquet helper tests: 3 passed.
- Full pacquet package-manager library suite: 426 passed.
cargo fmt, parsed two-document lockfile validation, andgit diff --check: passed.
Patch
Ready-for-review private PR: https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm-ghsa-fr4h-3cph-29xv/pull/1
GitHub reports the branch as mergeable and has requested review from zkochan. GitHub intentionally does not run status checks on temporary private-fork PRs; the commands and outcomes above are the recorded local validation: https://docs.github.com/code-security/security-advisories/collaborating-in-a-temporary-private-fork-to-resolve-a-security-vulnerability
Compatibility
Valid unscoped and scoped package aliases continue to work. The changeset covers @pnpm/fs.symlink-dependency, @pnpm/installing.deps-restorer, and pnpm; pacquet is updated in the same commit for CLI parity.
Written by an agent (Codex, GPT-5).
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | pnpm | all versions | 10.34.4 |
| 📦npm | pnpm | ≥ 11.0.0&&< 11.7.0 | 11.7.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pnpm. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update pnpm to 10.34.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-fr4h-3cph-29xv across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.