CVE-2026-102925 virtualenv bash and fish activation scripts execute commands embedded in paths
Attackers can execute arbitrary commands with user privileges by crafting virtual environment paths that exploit quoting flaws in activation scripts.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-102925?
CVE-2026-102925 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in pypa virtualenv, published on 29 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official 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.
Weakness: CWE-78
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-102925?
4 open source packages ship an affected version, including virtualenv.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
virtualenv Bitnami | All versions | 21.7.13 |
virtualenv PyPI | All versions | 21.7.13 |
virtualenv PyPI | All versions | 21.7.13 |
virtualenv PyPI | All versions | 21.7.13 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-102925?
Upgrade virtualenv to 21.7.13 or later.
Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.
Is CVE-2026-102925 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-102925 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-105675, BIT-virtualenv-2026-102925, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-102925, ECHO-6eef-2a90-03f8, GHSA-p58f-9548-mpm2, MINI-c68v-88m6-f83w and 4 more.