virtualenv bash and fish activation scripts execute commands embedded in paths
### Impact The generated `activate` (bash/zsh) and `activate.fish` scripts interpolate a `shlex.quote`-ed value into a position that quotes it a second time. The extra quotes terminate the quoted run early and leave part of the value parsed as shell code, so a path containing shell metacharacters runs commands when a user sources the activation script. `activate` is affected through the virtual environment's own path, on the branch that reports a relocated environment: ```sh echo "Virtual environment directory __VIRTUAL_ENV__ does not exist!" >&2 ``` For a destination named `x'$(id)'y`, `shlex.quote` emits `'x'"'"'$(id)'"'"'y'`. The inner `"` closes the enclosing double quote and `$(id)` is left unquoted. Backtick and `;` payloads reach the same result. This branch runs whenever the recorded path is absent, which is the normal case for a virtual environment copied or distributed to another machine. `activate.fish` is affected through the interpreter's Tcl/Tk library paths: ```fish set -gx TCL_LIBRARY '__TCL_LIBRARY__' ``` `shlex.quote` already returns `'/tcl/(cmd)/lib'`, so the rendered line is `''/tcl/(cmd)/lib''`. fish concatenates the adjacent quoted runs and expands the `(cmd)` left between them. The same doubling also splits a path containing a space into two list elements, corrupting `TCL_LIBRARY` and `TK_LIBRARY`. This is the same defect class as GHSA-x78j-v8h9-3j2q, which covered `activate.bat`. ### Patches Fixed in 21.7.13 by moving the placeholders outside the surrounding quotes, so each value keeps only the quoting `shlex.quote` applied. Fix: https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/pull/3252 ### Workarounds Avoid creating or distributing virtual environments whose path contains `'`, `` ` ``, `$`, `;`, `(` or `)`, and inspect the generated activation script before sourcing one you did not create.
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-102925US | — | — | ||
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 escap… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/virtualenv/PYSEC-2026-4013.yamlWEB
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenvPACKAGE
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/commit/4d5a105ec2a2723b8c7f4571bb68f4f71d01e3f6WEB
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/pull/3252WEB
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/releases/tag/21.7.13WEB
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/security/advisories/GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2WEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102925ADVISORY
- https://pypi.org/project/virtualenvWEB
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