CVE-2026-22702: Virtualenv Has TOCTOU Vulnerabilities
Affects virtualenvSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.5 Medium : upgrade to 20.36.1 when convenient.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 0% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 20.36.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:LExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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 virtualenv to 20.36.1.
Patches and advisories
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Homebrewvirtualenvpkg:brew/virtualenvOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
virtualenv is a tool for creating isolated virtual python environments. Prior to version 20.36.1, TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) vulnerabilities in virtualenv allow local attackers to perform symlink-based attacks on directory creation operations. An attacker with local access can exploit a race condition between directory existence checks and creation to redirect virtualenv's app_data and lock file operations to attacker-controlled locations. This issue has been patched in version 20.36.1.
References
- github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/22xxx/CVE-2026-22702.json (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/pypa/virtualenv/security/advisories/GHSA-597g-3phw-6986 (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22702 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/pypa/virtualenv/commit/dec4cec5d16edaf83a00a658f32d1e032661cebc (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/pypa/virtualenv/pull/3013 (opens in a new tab)