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Fencer Intel
high 8.8

CVE-2026-53940 json

Conda: Entry-point path traversal in noarch:python install (arbitrary file write) — canonical Python implementation

published 4mo ago modified last mo. also EUVD-2026-83974 , GHSA-9m8m-c4j3-rj2c

Unreviewed: the maintainers' own advisory

Published by the maintainers on their GitHub repository conda/conda. GitHub has not reviewed it into the GitHub Advisory Database, so the affected packages and versions are the maintainers' word. Read the full advisory on GitHub.

cvss
8.8
version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev
Not listed
not in CISA's catalog
epss
0.5%
EPSS 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 46%
public exploits
0
none known

Summary

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.

Patch / fix

  • conda Azure Linux 3.0 24.3.0-5

azure linux advisories AZL-103394

Azure Linux vulnerability data, Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation, from https://github.com/microsoft/AzureLinuxVulnerabilityData via OSV, under the MIT licence; changed: normalised to fixed package versions per release. MIT

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Vendor advisories

What the vendors themselves say about their products: affected, fixed or not affected, and what to do.

red hat product security vex CVE-2026-53940 updated cvss 8.8

conda: Conda: Arbitrary code execution via entry-point path traversal

  • Red Hat All currently supported Red Hat products
    not affected: vulnerable code not present

Red Hat CSAF VEX © Red Hat, Inc., from https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/; changed: reduced to product statuses and remediations. CC BY 4.0 · csaf

CISA SSVC

Exploitation
Proof of concept is public
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total
Assessed
last mo.

Exploit prediction

0.55% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 46% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-11).

Exploits and checks

  • github.com https://github.com/conda/conda/security/advisories/GHSA-9m8m-c4j3-rj2c referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified

CVSS scores

assigned by version score vector
CNA 3.1 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Inferred packages

No advisory lists a package for this vulnerability yet. The CVE names these as products and links their GitHub repository, and the package registry names the same repository, so they are probably the affected packages. Low confidence: the versions are the CVE’s own for the product, and a stack check reports the package as unchecked when there are none.

ecosystem package repository affected
pypi conda conda/conda no versions given

Affected products

  • conda conda

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
  • CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path

References

Sources

Fencer Intel keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.

The maintainers of conda/conda published their own advisory on GitHub. Reviewed sources take precedence over it.