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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-113724: virtualenv · Deletion recovery can change a symlink target's mode

Affects hatchSource GCVE Database

0
Authoritative record:CVE-2026-113724· Medium 4.5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.5 Medium : upgrade to 1.18.1_2 when convenient.

Data as of 27 Oct 2026, 23:27 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
4.5Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
Patch
Available – fixed in 1.18.1_2
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 20 Oct 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade hatch to 1.18.1_2.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Homebrewhatchpkg:brew/hatchOther threatsAffected
  • >=1.18.0_1 <1.18.1_2
Fixed in
  • 1.18.1_2

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

AI-suggested

A fix is available in virtualenv version 1.18.1_2. Users should upgrade to this version or later to avoid the vulnerability. The fix avoids changing POSIX mode bits on deletion failure and properly handles read-only entries without following symlinks. No additional mitigation steps are required if the update is applied.

Description

A vulnerability in virtualenv's safe_delete() error handler can cause the permissions of a symlink target to be changed incorrectly during deletion recovery. When unlinking a symlink fails inside a read-only directory, the handler uses lstat() to get mode bits but applies them with chmod(), which follows the symlink and changes the target's mode. This can widen permissions on the target file if owned by the invoking user, potentially allowing other accounts to access it if parent directories are traversable. The issue affects virtualenv versions from 1.18.0_1 up to but not including 1.18.1_2 and was fixed in 1.18.1_2.

References

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