Unrated
Security advisory
In Python before 3.10.3 on Windows, local users can gain privileges because the search path is inadequately secured. The installer may allow a local attacker to add user-writable directories to the system search path. To exploit, an administrator must have installed Python for all users and enabled PATH entries. A non-administrative user can trigger a repair that incorrectly adds user-writable paths into PATH, enabling search-path hijacking of other users and system services. This affects Python (CPython) through 3.7.12, 3.8.x through 3.8.12, 3.9.x through 3.9.10, and 3.10.x through 3.10.2.
- Products
- Not specified
- Affected versions
- Not specified
- Fixed versions
- Not specified
- CVEs
- CVE-2022-26488
- Confirmed fixed CVEs
- Not specified
- Updated in this feed
- 7 Nov 2026, 10:46 UTC · Revision 1
Source evidence
In Python before 3.10.3 on Windows, local users can gain privileges because the search path is inadequately secured. The installer may allow a local attacker to add user-writable directories to the system search path. To exploit, an administrator must have installed Python for all users and enabled PATH entries. A non-administrative user can trigger a repair that incorrectly adds user-writable paths into PATH, enabling search-path hijacking of other users and system services. This affects Python (CPython) through 3.7.12, 3.8.x through 3.8.12, 3.9.x through 3.9.10, and 3.10.x through 3.10.2.
osv:CVE-2022-26488
Complete source record
{
"id": "4d31de7d77c03b491cc47ed612a52f863f7e037dae5f674e4fb3c7c2259034b9",
"url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-26488",
"method": "structured",
"payload": {
"kind": "advisory",
"title": "CVE-2022-26488",
"summary": "In Python before 3.10.3 on Windows, local users can gain privileges because the search path is inadequately secured. The installer may allow a local attacker to add user-writable directories to the system search path. To exploit, an administrator must have installed Python for all users and enabled PATH entries. A non-administrative user can trigger a repair that incorrectly adds user-writable paths into PATH, enabling search-path hijacking of other users and system services. This affects Python (CPython) through 3.7.12, 3.8.x through 3.8.12, 3.9.x through 3.9.10, and 3.10.x through 3.10.2.",
"evidence": "osv:CVE-2022-26488",
"products": [],
"severity": "unknown",
"structured": {
"id": "CVE-2022-26488",
"aliases": [
"BIT-libpython-2022-26488",
"BIT-python-2022-26488",
"BIT-python-min-2022-26488",
"CVE-2022-26488"
],
"affected": [
{
"ranges": [
{
"repo": "https://github.com/python/cpython",
"type": "GIT",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"last_affected": "1f97973f630fda109039b2a8c8024a70eb92932f"
},
{
"introduced": "fa919fdf2583bdfead1df00e842f24f30b2a34bf"
},
{
"last_affected": "07119dd38c9a6e5da84ca8a0a46acdf8a3e60ecf"
},
{
"introduced": "9cf6752276e6fcfd0c23fdb064ad27f448aaaf75"
},
{
"last_affected": "f2f3f537829ab0ef6948be5ee7f46b8ce8213ff2"
},
{
"introduced": "b494f5935c92951e75597bfe1c8b1f3112fec270"
},
{
"last_affected": "a58ebcc701dd6c43630df941481475ff0f615a81"
}
],
"database_specific": {
"extracted_events": [
{
"cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"range": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"last_affected": "3.7.12"
}
],
"source": "CPE_RANGE"
},
{
"cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"range": [
{
"introduced": "3.8.0"
},
{
"last_affected": "3.8.12"
}
],
"source": "CPE_RANGE"
},
{
"cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"range": [
{
"introduced": "3.9.0"
},
{
"last_affected": "3.9.10"
}
],
"source": "CPE_RANGE"
},
{
"cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"range": [
{
"introduced": "3.10.0"
},
{
"last_affected": "3.10.2"
}
],
"source": "CPE_RANGE"
}
]
}
}
],
"versions": [
"v3.9.10",
"v3.10.2",
"v3.10.1",
"v3.9.9",
"v3.9.8",
"v3.10.0rc2",
"v3.7.12",
"v3.9.7",
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"v3.10.0rc1",
"v3.10.0b4",
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"v3.8.11",
"v3.9.6",
"v3.10.0b3",
"v3.10.0b2",
"v3.10.0b1",
"v3.9.5",
"v3.10.0a7",
"v3.9.2",
"v3.8.8",
"v3.9.2rc1",
"v3.8.8rc1",
"v3.7.10",
"v3.10.0a1",
"v3.7.9",
"v3.9.0b5",
"v3.8.5",
"v3.7.8",
"v3.7.8rc1",
"v3.9.0b3",
"v3.9.0b1",
"v3.8.3",
"v3.8.3rc1",
"v3.7.7rc1",
"v3.9.0a2",
"v3.7.6rc1",
"v3.8.0rc1",
"v3.7.3rc1",
"v3.7.2rc1",
"v3.7.0rc1",
"v3.7.0b5",
"v3.7.0b4",
"v3.7.0b3",
"v3.7.0b2",
"v3.7.0b1",
"v3.7.0a2",
"v3.6.0b1",
"v3.6.0a3",
"v3.5.0b1",
"v3.5.0a4",
"v3.5.0a3",
"v3.5.0a2",
"v3.5.0a1",
"v3.4.0b3",
"v3.4.0b2",
"v3.4.0b1",
"v3.4.0a4",
"v3.4.0a3",
"v3.4.0a2",
"v3.4.0a1",
"v3.3.0rc3",
"v3.3.0rc2",
"v3.3.0rc1",
"v3.3.0b2",
"v3.3.0b1",
"v3.3.0a4",
"v3.3.0a3",
"v3.3.0a2",
"v3.2rc3",
"v3.2rc2",
"v3.2rc1",
"v3.2b2",
"v3.2b1",
"v3.2a4",
"v3.2a3",
"v3.2a2",
"v3.2a1",
"v3.1",
"v3.1rc2",
"v3.1rc1",
"v3.1b1",
"v3.1a2",
"v3.1a1",
"v3.0rc3",
"v3.0rc2",
"v3.0rc1",
"v3.0b3",
"v3.0b2",
"v3.0b1",
"v3.0a5",
"v3.0a4",
"v3.0a3",
"v3.0a2",
"v3.0a1",
"v2.4",
"v2.4c1",
"v2.4b2",
"v2.4b1",
"v2.4a3",
"v2.4a2",
"v2.4a1",
"v2.3c2",
"v2.3c1",
"v2.2a3",
"v2.1",
"v2.1c2",
"v2.1c1",
"v2.1b2",
"v2.1b1",
"v2.1a2",
"v2.1a1",
"v2.0",
"v2.0c1",
"v2.0b2",
"v2.0b1",
"v1.6a2",
"v1.6a1",
"v1.5.2",
"v1.5.2c1",
"v1.5.2b2",
"v1.5.2b1",
"v1.5.2a2",
"v1.5.2a1",
"v1.5.1",
"v1.5",
"v1.5b2",
"v1.5b1",
"v1.5a4",
"v1.5a3",
"v1.5a2",
"v1.5a1",
"v1.4",
"v1.4b3",
"v1.4b2",
"v1.4b1",
"v1.3",
"v1.3b1",
"v1.2",
"v1.2b4",
"v1.2b3",
"v1.2b2",
"v1.2b1",
"v1.1.1",
"v1.1",
"v1.0.2",
"v1.0.1",
"v0.9.9",
"v0.9.8"
],
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2022-26488.json"
}
}
],
"modified": "2026-10-28T02:30:50.470673104Z",
"provider": "osv",
"references": [
"https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html",
"https://mail.python.org/archives/list/security-announce%40python.org/thread/657Z4XULWZNIY5FRP3OWXHYKUSIH6DMN/",
"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2022/26xxx/CVE-2022-26488.json",
"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-26488",
"https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220419-0005/"
],
"provider_metadata": {
"cna_assigner": "mitre",
"osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2022/26xxx/CVE-2022-26488.json"
}
},
"related_cves": [
{
"value": "CVE-2022-26488",
"evidence": "/id"
}
],
"security_relevant": true,
"severity_evidence": null
},
"source_id": "core-osv",
"document_id": 519045,
"published_at": "2022-03-07T17:26:04+00:00"
}