diff --git a/.changeset/load-config-without-eval.md b/.changeset/load-config-without-eval.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e0e5e58f5db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/load-config-without-eval.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"webpack-cli": patch
+---
+
+chore: load configuration files with `import()` instead of `eval`
diff --git a/packages/webpack-cli/src/webpack-cli.ts b/packages/webpack-cli/src/webpack-cli.ts
index 12eae0a3794..250cd0558bf 100644
--- a/packages/webpack-cli/src/webpack-cli.ts
+++ b/packages/webpack-cli/src/webpack-cli.ts
@@ -3338,9 +3338,8 @@ class WebpackCLI {
           let loadingError;
 
           try {
-            options = // eslint-disable-next-line no-eval
-              (await eval(`import("${isFileURL ? configPath : pathToFileURL(configPath)}")`))
-                .default;
+            options = (await import(isFileURL ? configPath : pathToFileURL(configPath).href))
+              .default;
           } catch (err) {
             if (this.isValidationError(err) || process.env?.WEBPACK_CLI_FORCE_LOAD_ESM_CONFIG) {
               throw err;
diff --git a/test/build/config/basic/basic-config.test.js b/test/build/config/basic/basic-config.test.js
index 4f861f55f71..b7f44998d05 100644
--- a/test/build/config/basic/basic-config.test.js
+++ b/test/build/config/basic/basic-config.test.js
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 "use strict";
 
+const fs = require("node:fs");
+const os = require("node:os");
+const path = require("node:path");
 const { resolve } = require("node:path");
 const { pathToFileURL } = require("node:url");
 const { cleanStderr, run } = require("../../../utils/test-utils");
@@ -40,6 +43,24 @@ describe("basic config file", () => {
     expect(stdout).toBeTruthy();
   });
 
+  it("should load a configuration path as a module specifier and not run it as code", async () => {
+    const marker = path.join(
+      fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "webpack-cli-config-path-")),
+      "executed",
+    );
+    const configPath = `file:///webpack.config.js"),require("node:fs").writeFileSync(${JSON.stringify(marker)},""),import("file:///webpack.config.js`;
+
+    try {
+      const { exitCode, stderr } = await run(__dirname, ["-c", configPath]);
+
+      expect(exitCode).toBe(2);
+      expect(stderr).toContain("Failed to load");
+      expect(fs.existsSync(marker)).toBe(false);
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(path.dirname(marker), { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   it("should build and not throw error with a basic using weird path", async () => {
     const { exitCode, stderr, stdout } = await run(__dirname, [
       "-c",