CVE-2026-53940CWE-22CWE-73path-traversal

CVE-2026-53940

High · published September 21, 2026

CVSS v3.1
8.8
EPSS
1%
Percentile
45.0
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

Conda is a system-level binary package and environment manager that runs on major operating systems and platforms. Prior to 26.5.2, parse_entry_point_def in conda/common/path/python.py accepted an unvalidated entry-point command from a noarch:python package's info/link.json metadata. CreatePythonEntryPointAction in conda/core/path_actions.py interpolated that command into target_short_path, and PrefixPathAction.target_full_path joined it to the installation prefix without verifying that the result remained under the intended bin or Scripts directory. create_python_entry_point in conda/gateways/disk/create.py then wrote an executable wrapper to the resulting path. A malicious package could use path separators, traversal segments, or an absolute command path to write outside the prefix or overwrite another in-prefix entry point during default install and environment transactions. Out-of-prefix writes require the target parent directory to exist, while an overwritten entry point can execute attacker-controlled Python when later invoked with the installing user's privileges. This issue is fixed in version 26.5.2.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
8.8 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00546 · 45.0th percentile
Weaknesses
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'); CWE-73 · External Control of File Name or Path
Published
2026-09-21T20:17Z
References (5)
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 23 SEP 03:46Z
    EPSS moved — → 0%
    epss
  • 21 SEP 15:35Z
    Conda: Entry-point path traversal in noarch:python install (arbitrary file write) — canonical Python implementation
    cvelistv5