Vulnerability · Published Oct 20, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-113714virtualenv: Downloaded wheel selection and caching precede verification
Low 2.3
In plain English
A low-severity security flaw in virtualenv from pypa. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 16% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
virtualenv is a tool for creating isolated virtual python environments. Prior to 21.14.9, download_wheel() writes package-index downloads directly into the reusable wheel/house cache before selecting a verification target from pip's textual Saved output. With default-index digest comparison enabled, a controlled package index can inject a misleading Saved line through a discarded link's data-requires-python attribute; this forged-line variant also requires knowledge of an absolute path to the genuine bundled wheel. The wrong path can then be hashed, while a digest mismatch leaves the rejected archive in the cache for later selection without verification. A separate rejected-cache-file variant requires control over downloaded data or archive selection but not the forged-line prerequisites. Explicit custom-index exceptions are outside the promised PyPI comparison, and the issue does not independently bypass TLS or establish control of default PyPI. This issue is fixed in version 21.14.9.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-113714 |
| Debian:13 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-113714 |
| Debian:14 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-113714 |
| PyPI | virtualenv | 21.14.9 | GHSA-494p-63j8-28p3 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-113714 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-113714 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| pypa | virtualenv | < 21.14.9 |
Weakness: CWE-354 · Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
References
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/security/advisories/GHSA-494p-63j8-28p3 x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/pull/3430 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/commit/7babec66e043e1cc8bc66869a063653898719d96 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/releases/tag/21.14.9 x_refsource_MISC