CVE-2026-53940

8.8 HIGHpublic exploit available

Published 2026-09-21 · Updated 2026-09-21

AI risk analysis

Summary: The flaw allows a malicious package to write executable files outside the intended directory or overwrite existing entry points, leading to potential code execution with user privileges.
Exploitability: Exploitation requires a vulnerable version of Conda and a malicious noarch:python package; preconditions include an unpatched installation and user interaction during package installation.
Blast radius: If exploited, the issue could lead to unauthorized code execution, potentially compromising system security and integrity.
Prioritized remediation: Update Conda to version 26.5.2 or later to mitigate this vulnerability.

rcecode-executionpackage-managementpatch-recommended

Analysis generated locally by qwen2.5:7b-instruct (no data left the box). AI-assisted — verify against primary sources before acting.

NVD description

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.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weaknesses

CWE-22, CWE-73

Public exploit & PoC references

All references

Source data: NVD (nvd.nist.gov), public domain. Exploit-DB.ai adds local AI analysis for defensive use only.

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