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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2026-28684: theskumar python-dotenv · Link Following

Affects theskumar python-dotenvSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.6 Medium : upgrade to 1.2.2 when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
6.6Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 16% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 1.2.2
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 20 Apr 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade theskumar python-dotenv to 1.2.2.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
theskumarpython-dotenvAffected
  • <1.2.2
Fixed in
  • 1.2.2
PyPIpython-dotenvpkg:pypi/python-dotenvOther threatsAffected
  • <1.2.2
Fixed in
  • 1.2.2

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Users should upgrade python-dotenv to version 1.2.2 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. If upgrading is not immediately possible, users can manually apply the patch to prevent symbolic link following during .env file rewriting.

Description

python-dotenv reads key-value pairs from a .env file and can set them as environment variables. Prior to version 1.2.2, `set_key()` and `unset_key()` in python-dotenv follow symbolic links when rewriting `.env` files, allowing a local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files via a crafted symlink when a cross-device rename fallback is triggered. Users should upgrade to v.1.2.2 or, as a workaround, apply the patch manually.

References

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