CVE-2026-115791Python Software Foundation CPython
NVD
Vulnerability Summary
When tarfile or zipfile command line interface (CLI) is used to
decompress an archive, a Python script shadowing the stdlib can be
created. Then if an error occurs during decompressing the next file,
the newly created Python script is executed. This is especially true
if the created Python is called traceback.py. The problem is that
Python adds the current directory to sys.path when python -m MODULE is
run, and the archive is also decompressed in the current directory.
The fix removes sys.path[0] in gzip, tarfile and zipfile command line
interface to prevent shadowing standard library modules from extracted
files.
decompress an archive, a Python script shadowing the stdlib can be
created. Then if an error occurs during decompressing the next file,
the newly created Python script is executed. This is especially true
if the created Python is called traceback.py. The problem is that
Python adds the current directory to sys.path when python -m MODULE is
run, and the archive is also decompressed in the current directory.
The fix removes sys.path[0] in gzip, tarfile and zipfile command line
interface to prevent shadowing standard library modules from extracted
files.
CVSS v4.0 Base Metrics — Score 5.3 (MEDIUM)
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NAttack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Attack RequirementsPresent
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionActive
Confidentiality (Vulnerable System)High
Integrity (Vulnerable System)High
Availability (Vulnerable System)None
Confidentiality (Subsequent System)None
Integrity (Subsequent System)None
Availability (Subsequent System)None
Affected & Patched Versions
- Python Software Foundation CPython < 3.16.0
- Python Software Foundation CPython 3.16.0
What to do
Fix it during your normal patch cycle. No exploitation is confirmed yet.
- Check whether you run Python Software Foundation CPython and which version.
- Update to a patched version listed above, then confirm the new version.
Timeline
- Nov 10, 2026Published
- Nov 11, 2026Record last modified
Score, severity and exploitation changes are tracked from the day Watchtower started logging them.
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Data last checked: Nov 14, 2026 02:13 UTC