Vulnerability in Pypa Virtualenv
CVE-2026-22702
virtualenv is a tool for creating isolated virtual python environments. Prior to version 20.36.1, TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) vulnerabilities in virtualenv allow local attackers to perform symlink-based attacks on directory creation operations. An attacker with local access can exploit a race condition between directory existence checks and creation to redirect virtualenv's app_data and lock file operations to attacker-controlled locations. This issue has been patched in version 20.36.1.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 4.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.001 (0.7th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 1st percentile — 0.7% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.001 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- Pypa Virtualenv — versions < 20.36.1
- Virtualenv
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/pypa/virtualenv/security/advisories/GHSA-597g-3phw-6986 (Patch, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/pypa/virtualenv/pull/3013 (Patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/pypa/virtualenv/commit/dec4cec5d16edaf83a00a658f32d1e032661cebc (Patch)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-22702?
- CVE-2026-22702 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Pypa Virtualenv, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 4.5/10. Published 2026-01-10.
- How severe is CVE-2026-22702?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 4.5 out of 10.