CVE-2026-8643

A flaw was found in pip, the package installer for Python. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by tricking a victim into installing a malicious Python wheel. This wheel contains specially crafted entry-point names that use directory traversal or absolute paths. This allows pip to write generated script wrappers outside the intended installation directory, leading to arbitrary file overwrite. This can severely impact system integrity and availability, and in certain scenarios, may lead to arbitrary code execution.

This Important flaw in pip's wheel installation process allows for arbitrary file overwrite due to path traversal. An attacker could exploit this by convincing a user to install a specially crafted malicious Python wheel. While file overwrites are limited to the installing user's permissions, using pip install with elevated privileges in Red Hat environments significantly increases the potential impact, potentially leading to system integrity compromise or arbitrary code execution.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

To mitigate this issue, users should avoid installing Python wheels from untrusted sources. It is strongly advised against using pip install with elevated privileges, such as sudo, when installing wheels. Additionally, administrators should inspect entry_points.txt within wheels for path separators or absolute paths before installation.