virtualenv bash and fish activation scripts execute commands embedded in paths
Priority LOW 35CWE-78Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 6 fixed, 6 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-78.
Summary
virtualenv is a tool for creating isolated virtual python environments. Prior to 21.7.13, the generated activate (bash and zsh) and activate.fish scripts place values already escaped by shlex.quote inside an additional quoted context. In the bash and zsh script, a crafted virtual environment path reaches __VIRTUAL_ENV__ when a relocated environment's recorded directory is absent; in the fish script, crafted Tcl or Tk library paths reach __TCL_LIBRARY__ or __TK_LIBRARY__. The surplus quotes can terminate the data-only quoted run and leave shell metacharacters parsed as commands when a user sources the activation script, allowing code execution with that user's privileges. This issue is fixed in version 21.7.13.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00159 5th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial virtualenv (pypa): 21.7.13virtualenv (PyPI): 21.7.13Red Hat: 6 advisoriesRed Hat: 6 fixed, 6 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pypa | virtualenv | before 21.7.13 | 21.7.13 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | virtualenv (PyPI) | before 21.7.13 | 21.7.13 | Patch available | GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2 |
- virtualenv Vendorpypa Affected before 21.7.13 Fixed in 21.7.13 Patch available CNA
- virtualenv (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 21.7.13 Fixed in 21.7.13 Patch available GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2
Remediation
- Fix · CNA virtualenv (pypa) Fixed in 21.7.13
- Fix · GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2 virtualenv (PyPI) Fixed in 21.7.13 Advisory →
Red Hat 6 advisories
- RHSA-2026:90321 Released 2026-10-26 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces 3.31.0 Release.
- Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces 3.31 registry.redhat.io/devspaces/code-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/devspaces/dashboard-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/devspaces/jetbrains-ide-rhel9 +8
- RHSA-2026:87410 Released 2026-10-21 · Red Hat rating CriticalRHOAI 2.25.12 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25 registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-built-in-detector-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-caikit-nlp-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-codeflare-operator-rhel9 +47
- RHSA-2026:87124 Released 2026-10-21 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7 Container Release Update
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7 registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-27/de-supported-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-27/eda-controller-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-27/ee-supported-rhel9 +8
Show 3 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2026:87120 Released 2026-10-21 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 Container Release Update
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-26/eda-controller-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-26/ee-supported-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-26/gateway-rhel9 +8
- RHSA-2026:86891 Released 2026-10-21 · Red Hat rating CriticalRHOAI 3.5.2 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-automl-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-built-in-detector-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-cli-rhel9 +47
- RHSA-2026:84734 Released 2026-10-19 · Red Hat rating CriticalRHOAI 3.4.5 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-ai-gateway-payload-processing-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-automl-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-autorag-rhel9 +47
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| OpenShift Lightspeed | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Satellite 6 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Self-service automation portal 2 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:87120 |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:87124 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:87410 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:84734 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.5 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:86891 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces 3.31 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:90321 |
Not affected: 9 products
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7
- Red Hat Hardened Images
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.5
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces 3.31
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-102925
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2
- 2026-10-16 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 Fix available: RHSA-2026:84734 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 Fix available: Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-22 Fix available: RHSA-2026:87124 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-22 Fix available: RHSA-2026:87120 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-22 Fix available: RHSA-2026:86891 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-22 Fix available: RHSA-2026:87410 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-23 Fix available: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7, Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25 +1 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 Fix available: Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces 3.31 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: RHSA-2026:90321 · Red Hat
References
Other 7
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/security/advisories/GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/pull/3252
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/commit/4d5a105ec2a2723b8c7f4571bb68f4f71d01e3f6
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/releases/tag/21.7.13
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/virtualenv/PYSEC-2026-4013.yaml
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv
- https://pypi.org/project/virtualenv
More pypa vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-29803 setuptools has a path traversal vulnerability in PackageIndex.download that leads to Arbitrary File Write CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.7
- TI-2024-05888 Remote Code Execution in pypa/setuptools CVSS 3.0HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-78525 Shell command injection in virtualenv generated POSIX launchers CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2026-78526 Command injection in virtualenv bash activation prompt CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-78521 Code injection in virtualenv Xonsh activation script CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-19377 wheel Allows Arbitrary File Permission Modification via Path Traversal CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-102925 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-102925 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-102925 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences