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Fencer Vulns
high 7.1

CVE-2026-115586 json

virtualenv: Bash activator leaves the --prompt value unescaped in PS1 when promptvars is off, so prompt expansion later executes it (regression in 21.14.9)

published 2026-10-23 16 d ago modified 2026-10-29 10 d ago also BIT-virtualenv-2026-115586 , EUVD-2026-109131 , GHSA-cx6f-vjhg-g3cc

cvss
7.1
version 4.0, CNA
cisa kev
Not listed
not in CISA's catalog
epss
0.3%
EPSS 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 19%
public exploits
0
none known

Summary

virtualenv is a tool for creating isolated virtual python environments. From 21.14.9 until 21.14.13, the bash bin/activate script can copy an attacker-controlled --prompt value into PS1 without escaping dollar signs or backticks when both promptvars and POSIX mode are disabled during activation. Re-enabling promptvars, running set -o posix, or starting an interactive child bash that inherits the exported PS1 can then expand command substitution in the stored VIRTUAL_ENV_PROMPT value and execute commands as the user who activates the environment. This issue is fixed in version 21.14.13.

Patch / fix

  • pypi virtualenv 21.14.13
  • bitnami virtualenv 21.14.13
  • virtualenv virtualenv 21.14.13
  • python-virtualenv openSUSE Tumbleweed 21.15.1-1.1

opensuse advisories openSUSE-SU-2026:12372-1

Vendor advisories

What the vendors themselves say about their products: affected, fixed or not affected, and what to do.

red hat product security vex CVE-2026-115586 updated cvss 7.0

virtualenv: virtualenv: Arbitrary code execution via unescaped prompt in bash activation script

  • Red Hat OpenShift Lightspeed openshift-lightspeed/lightspeed-service-api-rhel9
    affected: workaround, no fix planned “Will not fix”
  • Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 python-virtualenv 20.25.1-2.el10ap, python3.11-virtualenv 20.25.1-1.el9ap, python3.12-virtualenv 20.25.1-2.el9ap, ansible-automation-platform-26/controller-rhel9, ansible-automation-platform-27/controller-rhel9, ansible-automation-platform-26/eda-controller-rhel9, +2 more Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) rhoai/odh-ta-lmes-job-rhel9, rhoai/odh-feature-server-rhel9, rhai-early-access/docling-serve-cuda-rhel9, rhoai/odh-kserve-storage-initializer-rhel9, rhoai/odh-trustyai-nemo-guardrails-server-rhel9, rhoai/odh-workbench-jupyter-datascience-cpu-py312-rhel9, +2 more Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces devspaces/udi-rhel9 Red Hat Satellite 6 satellite/iop-yuptoo-rhel9, satellite/iop-host-inventory-rhel9, satellite/iop-advisor-backend-rhel9
    affected: workaround, no fix available
  • Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) rhoai/odh-kserve-agent-rhel9, rhoai/odh-kserve-router-rhel9, rhoai/odh-kserve-controller-rhel9, rhoai/odh-training-rocm64-torch28-py312-rhel9 Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 python-virtualenv 20.25.1-2.el10ap
    not affected: component not present

Red Hat CSAF VEX © Red Hat, Inc., from https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/; changed: reduced to product statuses and remediations. CC BY 4.0 · csaf

CISA SSVC

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total
Assessed
16 d ago

Exploit prediction

0.27% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 19% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

CVSS scores

assigned by version score vector
CNA 4.0 7.1 CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA 4.0 7.1 CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Affected packages

ecosystem package affected fixed in
pypi virtualenv
>=21.14.9, <21.14.13
21.14.13
bitnami virtualenv
>=21.14.9, <21.14.13
21.14.13

Affected products

  • pypa virtualenv

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command

References

Sources

Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.

CPEs and fixed versions use Anchore's correction of NVD's data: Added CPE configurations because not yet analyzed by NVD.