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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-113776: Virtualenvwrapper · virtualenv activation scripts run code from a path that contains a placeholder name

Affects virtualenvwrapperSource GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-113776· High 7.8

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High : upgrade to 6.1.1_3 soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 05:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none
CVSS scores by source
CNA (GitHub_M)CVSS 3.17.8
Patch
Available – fixed in 6.1.1_3
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 20 Oct 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 virtualenvwrapper to 6.1.1_3.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Homebrewvirtualenvwrapperpkg:brew/virtualenvwrapperOther threatsAffected
  • >=6.1.0 <6.1.1_3
Fixed in
  • 6.1.1_3

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

AI-suggested

A patch is available in virtualenvwrapper version 6.1.1_3 that fixes the issue by preventing placeholder names from being interpreted as code in activation scripts. Users should upgrade to version 6.1.1_3 or later. As a workaround, avoid creating virtual environments with paths or --prompt values containing placeholder names such as __VIRTUAL_NAME__, __VIRTUAL_ENV__, or __VIRTUAL_PROMPT__. Additionally, inspect activation scripts before sourcing them if they were generated by untrusted sources.

Description

Virtualenvwrapper versions from 6.1.0 up to but not including 6.1.1_3 contain a vulnerability in the activation scripts where placeholder names in environment paths or prompts can be interpreted as code. This occurs because the template substitution process rewrites placeholders inside quoted literals, allowing injected commands to execute when activating the environment. The issue is fixed in version 6.1.1_3. Users should avoid creating environments with placeholder names in paths or prompts and review activation scripts before sourcing.

References

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