pnpm v10+ Bypass "Dependency lifecycle scripts execution disabled by default"

CISA KEV is observed exploitation evidence. FIRST EPSS is a dated prediction of exploitation in the next 30 days. Missing scores are unknown. This collector requests predictions only for explicit CVE aliases in the public NuGet archive; Microsoft release views retain their existing prediction scope.

No collected risk observation for these identifiers. This does not establish absence of exploitation or a zero probability.

pnpm is a package manager. Versions 10.0.0 through 10.25 allow git-hosted dependencies to execute arbitrary code during pnpm install, circumventing the v10 security feature "Dependency lifecycle scripts execution disabled by default". While pnpm v10 blocks postinstall scripts via the onlyBuiltDependencies mechanism, git dependencies can still execute prepare, prepublish, and prepack scripts during the fetch phase, enabling remote code execution without user consent or approval. This issue is fixed in version 10.26.0.

Source published

7 Jan 2026 21:53:09 UTC

Source modified

14 Sep 2026 12:04:32 UTC

Observed here

23 Oct 2026 15:48:27 UTC

Source terms

CVE Program Terms of Use

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: cve-program · CVE Program Terms of Use. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS 3.1 · 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

pnpm is a package manager. Versions 10.0.0 through 10.25 allow git-hosted dependencies to execute arbitrary code during pnpm install, circumventing the v10 security feature "Dependency lifecycle scripts execution disabled by default". While pnpm v10 blocks postinstall scripts via the onlyBuiltDependencies mechanism, git dependencies can still execute prepare, prepublish, and prepack scripts during the fetch phase, enabling remote code execution without user consent or approval. This issue is fixed in version 10.26.0.

Source published

Jan 7, 2026, 9:53:09 PM (timezone not stated)

Source modified

Sep 14, 2026, 12:04:32 PM (timezone not stated)

Observed here

9 Nov 2026 04:12:09 UTC

Source terms

ENISA EUVD · source terms and attribution apply

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: euvd · ENISA EUVD · source terms and attribution apply. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

EUVD CVSS 3.1 · 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

pnpm is a package manager. Versions 10.0.0 through 10.25 allow git-hosted dependencies to execute arbitrary code during pnpm install, circumventing the v10 security feature "Dependency lifecycle scripts execution disabled by default". While pnpm v10 blocks postinstall scripts via the onlyBuiltDependencies mechanism, git dependencies can still execute prepare, prepublish, and prepack scripts during the fetch phase, enabling remote code execution without user consent or approval. This issue is fixed in version 10.26.0.

Source published

7 Jan 2026 22:15:43 UTC

Source modified

14 Oct 2026 16:10:00 UTC

Observed here

25 Oct 2026 04:17:10 UTC

Source terms

NIST NVD usage terms; underlying source attribution retained

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: nvd · NIST NVD usage terms; underlying source attribution retained. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS 3.1 · [email protected] · Secondary · 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS 3.1 · [email protected] · Primary · 9.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS 3.1 · 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c · Secondary · 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

# pnpm v10+ Git Dependency Script Execution Bypass ### Summary A security bypass vulnerability in pnpm v10+ allows git-hosted dependencies to execute arbitrary code during `pnpm install`, circumventing the v10 security feature "Dependency lifecycle scripts execution disabled by default". While pnpm v10 blocks `postinstall` scripts via the `onlyBuiltDependencies` mechanism, git dependencies can still execute `prepare`, `prepublish`, and `prepack` scripts during the fetch phase, enabling remote code execution without user consent or approval. ### Details pnpm v10 introduced a security feature to disable dependency lifecycle scripts by default ([PR #8897](https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/pull/8897)). This is implemented by setting `onlyBuiltDependencies = []` when no build policy is configured: **File:** `pkg-manager/core/src/install/extendInstallOptions.ts` (lines 290-291) ```typescript if (opts.neverBuiltDependencies == null && opts.onlyBuiltDependencies == null && opts.onlyBuiltDependenciesFile == null) { opts.onlyBuiltDependencies = [] } ``` This creates an allowlist that blocks all packages from running scripts during the **BUILD phase** in `exec/build-modules/src/index.ts`. However, git-hosted dependencies are processed differently. During the **FETCH phase**, git packages are prepared using `preparePackage()`: **File:** `exec/prepare-package/src/index.ts` (lines 28-57) ```typescript export async function preparePackage (opts: PreparePackageOptions, gitRootDir: string, subDir: string) { // ... if (opts.ignoreScripts) return { shouldBeBuilt: true, pkgDir } // Only checks ignoreScripts, not onlyBuiltDependencies const execOpts: RunLifecycleHookOptions = { // ... rawConfig: omit(['ignore-scripts'], opts.rawConfig), // Explicitly removes ignore-scripts! } // Runs npm/pnpm install await runLifecycleHook(installScriptName, manifest, execOpts) // Runs prepare scripts for (const scriptName of PREPUBLISH_SCRIPTS) { // ['prepublish', 'prepack', 'publish'] await runLifecycleHook(newScriptName, manifest, execOpts) } } ``` The `ignoreScripts` option defaults to `false` and is completely separate from `onlyBuiltDependencies`. The `onlyBuiltDependencies` allowlist is never consulted during the fetch phase. **Affected scripts that execute during fetch:** - `prepare` - `prepublish` - `prepack` **Attack vectors:** - `git+https://github.com/attacker/malicious.git` - `github:attacker/malicious` - `gitlab:attacker/malicious` - `bitbucket:attacker/malicious` - `git+ssh://[email protected]/attacker/malicious.git` - `git+file:///path/to/local/repo` ### PoC **Prerequisites:** - pnpm v10.0.0 or later (tested on v10.23.0 and v11.0.0-alpha.1) - git **Steps to reproduce:** 1. Extract the attached [poc.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/23797816/poc.zip) 2. Run the PoC script: ```bash cd poc chmod +x run-poc.sh ./run-poc.sh ``` 3. Verify the marker file was created by the malicious script: ```bash cat /tmp/pnpm-vuln-poc-marker.txt ``` **Manual reproduction:** 1. Create a malicious package with a `prepare` script: ```json { "name": "malicious-pkg", "version": "1.0.0", "scripts": { "prepare": "node -e \"require('fs').writeFileSync('/tmp/pwned.txt', 'RCE!')\"" } } ``` 2. Initialize it as a git repo and commit the files 3. Create a victim project that depends on it (just have to make sure it actually git clones and not just downloads a tarball): ```json { "dependencies": { "malicious-pkg": "git+file:///path/to/malicious-pkg" } } ``` 4. Run `pnpm install` - the prepare script executes without any warning or approval prompt ### Impact **Severity: High** **Who is impacted:** - All pnpm v10+ users - Users who believed they were protected by the v10 "scripts disabled by default" feature - CI/CD pipelines **Attack scenarios:** 1. **Supply chain attack:** An attacker compromises a dependency, adding to it a malicious git dependency that executes arbitrary code during `pnpm install` **What an attacker can do:** - Execute arbitrary code with the victim's privileges - Exfiltrate environment variables, secrets, and credentials - Modify source code or inject backdoors - Establish persistence or reverse shells - Access the filesystem and network **Why this bypasses security expectations:** - pnpm v10 changelog explicitly states "Lifecycle scripts of dependencies are not executed during installation by default" - Users expect git dependencies to follow the same security model as npm registry packages - There is no warning that git dependencies are treated differently - The `onlyBuiltDependencies` configuration does not affect git dependencies

Source published

7 Jan 2026 19:07:43 UTC

Source modified

3 Feb 2026 03:16:14 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:17:17 UTC

Source terms

GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS_V3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Publisher rating · HIGH