CVE-2026-68939Public exploit

Interpreter substitution via wildcard expansion

Published Aug 18, 2026 · Updated Aug 18, 2026

Wildcard handling in pyenv before 2.8.0 allows attackers to redirect interpreter selection via a crafted .python-version value. The is_version_safe() check in libexec/pyenv-version-file-read rejects only .. and /, while libexec/pyenv-version-name, pyenv-which, and pyenv-prefix later expand PYENV_VERSION unquoted, so shell glob metacharacters are pathname-expanded against files in the current directory. Exploitation requires local control of a repository or working directory containing both the crafted version file and matching filenames, and the verified consequence is silent selection of a different installed interpreter or version under $PYENV_ROOT.

CVSS severity2.0
Low
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Wildcard handling in pyenv before 2.8.0 allows attackers to redirect interpreter selection via a crafted .python-version value. The is_version_safe() check in libexec/pyenv-version-file-read rejects only .. and /, while libexec/pyenv-version-name, pyenv-which, and pyenv-prefix later expand PYENV_VERSION unquoted, so shell glob metacharacters are pathname-expanded against files in the current directory. Exploitation requires local control of a repository or working directory containing both the crafted version file and matching filenames, and the verified consequence is silent selection of a different installed interpreter or version under $PYENV_ROOT.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-68939
Published
Aug 18, 2026
Updated
Aug 18, 2026
Vendor
pyenv
Product
pyenv
Classifications
CWE-88, CWE-155, CWE-78
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 18, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 2.8.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

pyenv · pyenvversion=< 2.8.0

Published CVSS scores

2.0GitHubCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-88Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')
CWE-155Improper Neutralization of Wildcards or Matching Symbols
CWE-78Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo