CVE-2026-102925
highpriority · track · 0EPSS 0.002 · 5 %ileDEUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
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
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (7)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6all versionscert_bundDEcpe:/a:redhat:ansible_automation_platform:2.6
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7all versionscert_bundDEcpe:/a:redhat:ansible_automation_platform:2.7
advisories (4)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- WID-SEC-W-2026-4111Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform: Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-10-21csaf · cert_bundDE
Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform ausnutzen, um beliebigen Code mit Benutzer- oder Anwendungsrechten auszuführen, gültige kryptografische Token zu fälschen, die Authentifizierung zu umgehen, erweiterte Rechte zu erlangen, Denial-of-Service-Zustände auszulösen sowie Daten zu manipulieren oder offenzulegen.
- GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2virtualenv bash and fish activation scripts execute commands embedded in paths2026-10-01ghsa · osvUS
### 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.
- BIT-virtualenv-2026-102925virtualenv bash and fish activation scripts execute commands embedded in paths2026-10-06vendor · osvUS
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.
- PYSEC-2026-4013virtualenv bash and fish activation scripts execute commands embedded in paths2026-09-18vendor · osvUS
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 (`Virtual environment directory __VIRTUAL_ENV__ does not exist!`). 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. 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 (`set -gx TCL_LIBRARY '__TCL_LIBRARY__'`). The rendered line becomes `''/tcl/(cmd)/lib''`, and fish expands the `(cmd)` left between the adjacent quoted runs. The same doubling 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`. Fixed in 21.7.13 by moving the placeholders outside the surrounding quotes, so each value keeps only the quoting `shlex.quote` applied.
also known as (3)
Other names and identifiers for this entity.
- BIT-virtualenv-2026-102925osv
- GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2osv
- PYSEC-2026-4013osv
sources
Which sources assert this record, and when.
references (4) nvd
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
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