High severity · published Sep 29, 2026
CVE-2026-102925
virtualenv bash and fish activation scripts execute commands embedded in paths
7.8
CVSS
0.2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
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.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.2% · higher than 5% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
VI
virtualenv · pypa
< 21.7.13 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102925
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-102925
x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/security/advisories/GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2
x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/pull/3252
x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/commit/4d5a105ec2a2723b8c7f4571bb68f4f71d01e3f6
x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/releases/tag/21.7.13
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