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BIT-virtualenv-2026-113714 — virtualenv: Downloaded wheel selection and caching precede verification

Affected: Bitnami: virtualenv

virtualenv is a tool for creating isolated virtual python environments. Prior to 21.14.9, download_wheel() writes package-index downloads directly into the reusable wheel/house cache before selecting a verification target from pip's textual Saved output. With default-index digest comparison enabled, a controlled package index can inject a misleading Saved line through a discarded link's data-requires-python attribute; this forged-line variant also requires knowledge of an absolute path to the genuine bundled wheel. The wrong path can then be hashed, while a digest mismatch leaves the rejected archive in the cache for later selection without verification. A separate rejected-cache-file variant requires control over downloaded data or archive selection but not the forged-line prerequisites. Explicit custom-index exceptions are outside the promised PyPI comparison, and the issue does not independently bypass TLS or establish control of default PyPI. This issue is fixed in version 21.14.9.

CVE-2026-113714 — virtualenv: Downloaded wheel selection and caching precede verification

Affected: pypa virtualenv

GHSA-494p-63j8-28p3 — virtualenv: Downloaded wheel selection and caching precede verification

Affected: PyPI: virtualenv

## Summary

Wheel downloads go directly into the reusable wheelhouse, while the verification target is selected from pip's textual output. A verification failure does not remove the downloaded file from that cache.

Anthropic's OSS Scanner reported this as `ANT-2026-ST00DRO3` in `virtualenv-20261015-005`, received on 15 October 2026.

## Affected area

Download selection and promotion into the reusable wheel cache.

## Attacker-controlled input

A download must fail verification, or the archive selected from pip output must differ from the file later reused. Default-index digest verification must be enabled. Existing custom-index exceptions are outside the promised PyPI comparison.

## Affected code

The relevant 21.14.8 source is in [wheel download and digest check](https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/blob/a795ab116356afde11039cf2763d77e8a06da738/src/virtualenv/seed/wheels/acquire.py).

## Mechanism

`download_wheel()` tells pip to write directly into the reusable `wheel/house` cache. It then selects a path to hash from the first `Saved ` line in pip's stdout, rather than from the file pip actually placed there. A package index can inject such a line through a discarded link's `data-requires-python` attribute. A separate failure exists without the forged line: a digest mismatch raises after the downloaded wheel has entered the cache, and the rejected bytes remain there. Later wheel selection does not hash the cached file again.

## Reproduction and evidence

The scanner used…