CVE-2023-37478

HIGH

pnpm < 7.33.4 - Improper Access Control via Tarball Parsing

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 2 public exploits for CVE-2023-37478. PoCs published by TrevorGKann, li-minhao.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This PoC demonstrates CVE-2023-37478, exploiting a difference in how `npm` and `pnpm` handle tarball installations. The exploit leverages a maliciously crafted tarball with two versions of a package, where `pnpm` installs the older, malicious version due to its handling of tarball contents.

Description

pnpm is a package manager. It is possible to construct a tarball that, when installed via npm or parsed by the registry is safe, but when installed via pnpm is malicious, due to how pnpm parses tar archives. This can result in a package that appears safe on the npm registry or when installed via npm being replaced with a compromised or malicious version when installed via pnpm. This issue has been patched in version(s) 7.33.4 and 8.6.8.

Exploits (2)

nomisec WORKING POC
by TrevorGKann · poc
https://github.com/TrevorGKann/CVE-2023-37478_npm_vs_pnpm

This PoC demonstrates CVE-2023-37478, exploiting a difference in how `npm` and `pnpm` handle tarball installations. The exploit leverages a maliciously crafted tarball with two versions of a package, where `pnpm` installs the older, malicious version due to its handling of tarball contents.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: pnpm versions before the fix (e.g., v8.6.7)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Vulnerable version of pnpm · Ability to distribute a malicious tarball
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by li-minhao · poc
https://github.com/li-minhao/CVE-2023-37478-Demo

This repository demonstrates CVE-2023-37478, a vulnerability in a Tic-Tac-Toe game where the `calculateWinner` function in the bad version always returns 'O' as the winner, regardless of the actual game state. The PoC includes both vulnerable and patched versions for comparison.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Tic-Tac-Toe game (custom implementation)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to the vulnerable Tic-Tac-Toe game implementation
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (3)

Core 3
Core References
Release Notes x_refsource_misc
https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/releases/tag/v7.33.4
Release Notes x_refsource_misc
https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/releases/tag/v8.6.8

Scores

CVSS v3 7.5
EPSS 0.0230
EPSS Percentile 85.1%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation poc
Automatable no
Technical Impact total

Details

CWE
CWE-284
Status published
Products (10)
npm/pnpm 0 - 7.33.4npm
pnpm/cafs 0 - 7.0.5npm
pnpm/exe 0 - 7.33.4npm
pnpm/linux-arm64 0 - 7.33.4npm
pnpm/linux-x64 0 - 7.33.4npm
pnpm/linuxstatic-arm64 0 - 7.33.4npm
pnpm/macos-arm64 0 - 7.33.4npm
pnpm/macos-x64 0 - 7.33.4npm
pnpm/pnpm < 7.33.4
pnpm/win-x64 0 - 7.33.4npm
Published Aug 01, 2023
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026