pnpm vulnerable to no-script global cache poisoning via overrides / `ignore-scripts` evasion (CVE-2024-53866)
Description
pnpm versions prior to 9.15.0 have a vulnerability where overrides and global cache handling allow one workspace to poison the global cache and execute scripts in another workspace, even when 'ignore-scripts' is enabled. This breaks user expectations about script execution prevention during installs. The issue is fixed in version 9.15.0. A workaround is to use separate cache and store directories per workspace.
CVSS v4.0
Affected software
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The package manager pnpm before version 9.15.0 mishandles overrides and global cache metadata, causing overrides from one workspace to leak into the global cache and affect other workspaces. Installs do not revalidate this cached data by default, including during first lockfile generation. This allows a workspace running with 'ignore-scripts=true' to poison the global cache and cause arbitrary script execution in another workspace. This global state integrity loss enables code execution during installs that users expect to be safe. Version 9.15.0 addresses this issue by fixing the cache handling and override logic.
Potential Impact
An attacker controlling one workspace can poison the global cache, causing arbitrary code execution in other workspaces during package installs, even if 'ignore-scripts' is enabled. This undermines the security expectation that 'ignore-scripts' prevents script execution on install. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the global cache and can lead to execution of malicious scripts across workspaces.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade pnpm to version 9.15.0 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. As a temporary workaround, configure each workspace to use separate cache and store directories to prevent global cache poisoning. No other mitigations are indicated.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- BREW-pnpm-CVE-2024-53866
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.3
- Ecosystems
- ["Homebrew"]
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
Patch Information
Threat ID: 6ac2c0b22cdf04f656523917
Added to database: 10/04/2026, 21:10:10 UTC
Last enriched: 10/04/2026, 21:17:41 UTC
Last updated: 10/04/2026, 21:17:41 UTC
Views: 2
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