Executive brief
Conda is a package manager that installs and manages software environments across operating systems. A malicious package could exploit insufficient path validation in entry point creation to write executable files outside the intended installation directory or overwrite existing entry points. When invoked, an overwritten entry point would execute attacker-controlled code with the permissions of the user who installed the package, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Technical details
The vulnerability exists in Conda's entry point handling: parse_entry_point_def in conda/common/path/python.py accepts unvalidated command strings from noarch:python package metadata, CreatePythonEntryPointAction in conda/core/path_actions.py interpolates these commands without validation, and create_python_entry_point in conda/gateways/disk/create.py writes executable wrappers without verifying the target path remains within the intended bin/Scripts directory. An attacker can use path traversal segments, absolute paths, or path separators to write outside the installation prefix or overwrite existing entry points during package installation.
Affected products
- Conda conda prior to 26.5.2
Timeline
- 2026-09-21: disclosed
- 2026-06-01: patched: Fix backported to 26.5.x branch; version 26.5.2 contains the fix