Vulnerability · Published Oct 20, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-113725virtualenv bash activate runs commands from an environment name with a backslash before $
High 7.8
In plain English
A high-severity OS command injection in virtualenv from pypa. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.3% (higher than 18% 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 21.14.7, the bash activate script escapes the environment name for only one of the two passes bash makes over PS1, so a backslash in the name undoes the escaping and a name containing \$(...) runs as commands in the user's shell each time bash draws the prompt. This issue is fixed in version 21.14.7.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-113725 |
| Debian:13 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-113725 |
| Debian:14 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-113725 |
| PyPI | virtualenv | 21.14.7 | GHSA-vxj4-q4g9-crj7 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-113725 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | python-virtualenv | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-113725 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| pypa | virtualenv | < 21.14.7 |
Weakness: CWE-78, CWE-116 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/security/advisories/GHSA-vxj4-q4g9-crj7 x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/commit/c3104e02474b652832a9bbaae79f6e1696296932 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/releases/tag/21.14.7 x_refsource_MISC