CVE-2026-22702: pypa virtualenv Link Following

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-22702 is a medium (CVSS 4.5) Link Following vulnerability in pypa virtualenv. EPSS estimates a 0.10% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 0.8% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 10-01-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 12-01-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

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.

• CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
• CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')The product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently.