Description
When zx is invoked with --prefer-local=<path>, the CLI creates a symlink named ./node_modules pointing to <path>/node_modules. Due to a logic error in src/cli.ts (linkNodeModules / cleanup), the function returns the target path instead of the alias (symlink path). The later cleanup routine removes what it received, which deletes the target directory itself. Result: zx can delete an external <path>/node_modules outside the current working directory.
References (1)
Scores
CVSS v4
5.6
EPSS
0.0002
EPSS Percentile
4.6%
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:H/SA:H/E:U
CISA SSVC
Vulnrichment
Exploitation
poc
Automatable
no
Technical Impact
partial
Details
CWE
CWE-706
Status
published
Products (2)
Google/zx
8.8.4
npm/zx
0 - 8.8.5npm
Published
Nov 20, 2025
Tracked Since
Feb 18, 2026