diff --git a/lib/fs.js b/lib/fs.js
index 4436fa2df6e6..5e73ba6fb585 100644
--- a/lib/fs.js
+++ b/lib/fs.js
@@ -1537,6 +1537,29 @@ function rmdirSync(path, options) {
   binding.rmdir(path);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Asynchronously removes files and
+ * directories (modeled on the standard POSIX `rm` utility).
+ * @param {string | Buffer | URL} path
+ * @param {{
+ *   force?: boolean;
+ *   maxRetries?: number;
+ *   recursive?: boolean;
+ *   retryDelay?: number;
+ *   }} [options]
+function normalizePathForRm(path) {
+  if (typeof path === 'string') {
+    return pathModule.normalize(path);
+  }
+  if (isArrayBufferView(path)) {
+    const buf = Buffer.from(path.buffer, path.byteOffset, path.byteLength);
+    const str = BufferToString(buf, 'latin1');
+    const normalized = pathModule.normalize(str);
+    return Buffer.from(normalized, 'latin1');
+  }
+  return path;
+}
+
 /**
  * Asynchronously removes files and
  * directories (modeled on the standard POSIX `rm` utility).
@@ -1560,6 +1583,7 @@ function rm(path, options, callback) {
   if (h !== null && vfsVoid(h.rm(path, options), callback)) return;
 
   path = getValidatedPath(path);
+  path = normalizePathForRm(path);
 
   validateRmOptions(path, options, false, (err, options) => {
     if (err) {
@@ -1588,8 +1612,10 @@ function rmSync(path, options) {
     const result = h.rmSync(path, options);
     if (result !== undefined) return;
   }
+  path = getValidatedPath(path);
+  path = normalizePathForRm(path);
   const opts = validateRmOptionsSync(path, options, false);
-  return binding.rmSync(getValidatedPath(path), opts.maxRetries, opts.recursive, opts.retryDelay);
+  return binding.rmSync(path, opts.maxRetries, opts.recursive, opts.retryDelay);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
index efa981c55e31..2c7ea4d21eed 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
@@ -1600,6 +1600,19 @@ async function ftruncate(handle, len = 0) {
   );
 }
 
+function normalizePathForRm(path) {
+  if (typeof path === 'string') {
+    return pathModule.normalize(path);
+  }
+  if (isArrayBufferView(path)) {
+    const buf = Buffer.from(path.buffer, path.byteOffset, path.byteLength);
+    const str = BufferToString(buf, 'latin1');
+    const normalized = pathModule.normalize(str);
+    return Buffer.from(normalized, 'latin1');
+  }
+  return path;
+}
+
 async function rm(path, options) {
   const h = vfsState.handlers;
   if (h !== null) {
@@ -1607,6 +1620,7 @@ async function rm(path, options) {
     if (promise !== undefined) { await promise; return; }
   }
   path = getValidatedPath(path);
+  path = normalizePathForRm(path);
   options = await validateRmOptionsPromise(path, options, false);
   return lazyRimRaf()(path, options);
 }
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-fs-rm.js b/test/parallel/test-fs-rm.js
index 80600d114b9a..d4badfd09514 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-fs-rm.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-fs-rm.js
@@ -657,3 +657,89 @@ if (isGitPresent) {
   // Clean up parent directory
   fs.rmSync(dirname, { recursive: true, force: true });
 }
+
+// Test that rm/rmSync normalize '.' and '..' in paths before processing.
+// Regression test for https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/61958
+{
+  const cases = [
+    { segments: ['a', 'b', '..', '.'], target: 'a' },
+    { segments: ['a', 'b', '..'], target: 'a' },
+    { segments: ['a', '.'], target: 'a' },
+    { segments: ['a', 'b', 'c', '.'], target: path.join('a', 'b', 'c') },
+    { segments: ['a', 'b', 'c', '..', '..'], target: 'a' },
+    { segments: ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', '..', '..', '..'], target: 'a' },
+    { segments: ['a', 'b', '..', '.', 'b'], target: path.join('a', 'b') },
+    { segments: ['.', 'a'], target: 'a' },
+  ];
+
+  for (const { segments, target } of cases) {
+    // rmSync with string path
+    {
+      const base = nextDirPath('rm-dot-sync-str');
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(base, 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'),
+                   common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true }));
+      const weirdPath = [base, ...segments].join(path.sep);
+      fs.rmSync(weirdPath, common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true, force: true }));
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync(path.join(base, target)), false);
+    }
+
+    // rmSync with Buffer path
+    {
+      const base = nextDirPath('rm-dot-sync-buf');
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(base, 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'),
+                   common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true }));
+      const weirdPath = Buffer.from([base, ...segments].join(path.sep));
+      fs.rmSync(weirdPath, common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true, force: true }));
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync(path.join(base, target)), false);
+    }
+
+    // fs.rm (callback) with string path
+    {
+      const base = nextDirPath('rm-dot-cb-str');
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(base, 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'),
+                   common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true }));
+      const weirdPath = [base, ...segments].join(path.sep);
+      fs.rm(weirdPath,
+            common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true, force: true }),
+            common.mustSucceed(() => {
+              assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync(path.join(base, target)), false);
+            }));
+    }
+
+    // fs.promises.rm with string path
+    {
+      const base = nextDirPath('rm-dot-prom-str');
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(base, 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'),
+                   common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true }));
+      const weirdPath = [base, ...segments].join(path.sep);
+      fs.promises.rm(weirdPath,
+                     common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true, force: true }))
+        .then(common.mustCall(() => {
+          assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync(path.join(base, target)), false);
+        }));
+    }
+
+    // fs.promises.rm with Buffer path
+    {
+      const base = nextDirPath('rm-dot-prom-buf');
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(base, 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'),
+                   common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true }));
+      const weirdPath = Buffer.from([base, ...segments].join(path.sep));
+      fs.promises.rm(weirdPath,
+                     common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true, force: true }))
+        .then(common.mustCall(() => {
+          assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync(path.join(base, target)), false);
+        }));
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Non-UTF-8 Buffer path byte preservation test
+  {
+    const base = nextDirPath('rm-dot-buf-latin1');
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(base, 'a', 'b'),
+                 common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true }));
+    const bufPath = Buffer.from([base, 'a', 'b', '..', '.'].join(path.sep));
+    fs.rmSync(bufPath, common.mustNotMutateObjectDeep({ recursive: true, force: true }));
+    assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync(path.join(base, 'a')), false);
+  }
+}