CVE-2026-24049 (GCVE-0-2026-24049)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-01-22 04:02 – Updated: 2026-01-27 14:58
VLAI?
Title
wheel Allows Arbitrary File Permission Modification via Path Traversal
Summary
wheel is a command line tool for manipulating Python wheel files, as defined in PEP 427. In versions 0.40.0 through 0.46.1, the unpack function is vulnerable to file permission modification through mishandling of file permissions after extraction. The logic blindly trusts the filename from the archive header for the chmod operation, even though the extraction process itself might have sanitized the path. Attackers can craft a malicious wheel file that, when unpacked, changes the permissions of critical system files (e.g., /etc/passwd, SSH keys, config files), allowing for Privilege Escalation or arbitrary code execution by modifying now-writable scripts. This issue has been fixed in version 0.46.2.
Severity ?
7.1 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
CWE
  • CWE-22 - Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
  • CWE-732 - Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
pypa wheel Affected: >= 0.40.0, < 0.46.2
Create a notification for this product.
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "metrics": [
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "id": "CVE-2026-24049",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "Exploitation": "poc"
                  },
                  {
                    "Automatable": "no"
                  },
                  {
                    "Technical Impact": "partial"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2026-01-22T12:24:28.930262Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
              },
              "type": "ssvc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "providerMetadata": {
          "dateUpdated": "2026-01-27T14:58:36.933Z",
          "orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
          "shortName": "CISA-ADP"
        },
        "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "wheel",
          "vendor": "pypa",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "\u003e= 0.40.0, \u003c 0.46.2"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "wheel is a command line tool for manipulating Python wheel files, as defined in PEP 427. In versions 0.40.0 through 0.46.1, the unpack function is vulnerable to file permission modification through mishandling of file permissions after extraction. The logic blindly trusts the filename from the archive header for the chmod operation, even though the extraction process itself might have sanitized the path. Attackers can craft a malicious wheel file that, when unpacked, changes the permissions of critical system files (e.g., /etc/passwd, SSH keys, config files), allowing for Privilege Escalation or arbitrary code execution by modifying now-writable scripts. This issue has been fixed in version 0.46.2."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackVector": "LOCAL",
            "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
            "baseScore": 7.1,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "scope": "UNCHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-22",
              "description": "CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (\u0027Path Traversal\u0027)",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-732",
              "description": "CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-01-23T17:45:05.244Z",
        "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "shortName": "GitHub_M"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/pypa/wheel/security/advisories/GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_CONFIRM"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/pypa/wheel/security/advisories/GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/7a7d2de96b22a9adf9208afcc9547e1001569fef",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/7a7d2de96b22a9adf9208afcc9547e1001569fef"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/pypa/wheel/releases/tag/0.46.2",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/pypa/wheel/releases/tag/0.46.2"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx",
        "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
      },
      "title": "wheel Allows Arbitrary File Permission Modification via Path Traversal"
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
    "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-24049",
    "datePublished": "2026-01-22T04:02:08.706Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-01-20T22:30:11.778Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-01-27T14:58:36.933Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "nvd": "{\"cve\":{\"id\":\"CVE-2026-24049\",\"sourceIdentifier\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"published\":\"2026-01-22T05:16:23.157\",\"lastModified\":\"2026-02-18T14:56:48.657\",\"vulnStatus\":\"Analyzed\",\"cveTags\":[],\"descriptions\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"wheel is a command line tool for manipulating Python wheel files, as defined in PEP 427. In versions 0.40.0 through 0.46.1, the unpack function is vulnerable to file permission modification through mishandling of file permissions after extraction. The logic blindly trusts the filename from the archive header for the chmod operation, even though the extraction process itself might have sanitized the path. Attackers can craft a malicious wheel file that, when unpacked, changes the permissions of critical system files (e.g., /etc/passwd, SSH keys, config files), allowing for Privilege Escalation or arbitrary code execution by modifying now-writable scripts. This issue has been fixed in version 0.46.2.\"}],\"metrics\":{\"cvssMetricV31\":[{\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H\",\"baseScore\":7.1,\"baseSeverity\":\"HIGH\",\"attackVector\":\"LOCAL\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"NONE\",\"userInteraction\":\"REQUIRED\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"integrityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"HIGH\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.8,\"impactScore\":5.2},{\"source\":\"nvd@nist.gov\",\"type\":\"Primary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N\",\"baseScore\":5.5,\"baseSeverity\":\"MEDIUM\",\"attackVector\":\"LOCAL\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"NONE\",\"userInteraction\":\"REQUIRED\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"integrityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"NONE\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.8,\"impactScore\":3.6}]},\"weaknesses\":[{\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"description\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-22\"},{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-732\"}]},{\"source\":\"nvd@nist.gov\",\"type\":\"Primary\",\"description\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-22\"}]}],\"configurations\":[{\"nodes\":[{\"operator\":\"OR\",\"negate\":false,\"cpeMatch\":[{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:a:wheel_project:wheel:*:*:*:*:*:python:*:*\",\"versionStartIncluding\":\"0.40.0\",\"versionEndExcluding\":\"0.46.2\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"977849BE-E1EA-4B60-AF30-9C248A8B9635\"}]}]}],\"references\":[{\"url\":\"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/7a7d2de96b22a9adf9208afcc9547e1001569fef\",\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"tags\":[\"Patch\"]},{\"url\":\"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/releases/tag/0.46.2\",\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"tags\":[\"Product\",\"Release Notes\"]},{\"url\":\"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/security/advisories/GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx\",\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"tags\":[\"Exploit\",\"Mitigation\",\"Vendor Advisory\"]}]}}",
    "vulnrichment": {
      "containers": "{\"adp\": [{\"title\": \"CISA ADP Vulnrichment\", \"metrics\": [{\"other\": {\"type\": \"ssvc\", \"content\": {\"id\": \"CVE-2026-24049\", \"role\": \"CISA Coordinator\", \"options\": [{\"Exploitation\": \"poc\"}, {\"Automatable\": \"no\"}, {\"Technical Impact\": \"partial\"}], \"version\": \"2.0.3\", \"timestamp\": \"2026-01-22T12:24:28.930262Z\"}}}], \"providerMetadata\": {\"orgId\": \"134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0\", \"shortName\": \"CISA-ADP\", \"dateUpdated\": \"2026-01-22T12:24:57.994Z\"}}], \"cna\": {\"title\": \"wheel Allows Arbitrary File Permission Modification via Path Traversal\", \"source\": {\"advisory\": \"GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx\", \"discovery\": \"UNKNOWN\"}, \"metrics\": [{\"cvssV3_1\": {\"scope\": \"UNCHANGED\", \"version\": \"3.1\", \"baseScore\": 7.1, \"attackVector\": \"LOCAL\", \"baseSeverity\": \"HIGH\", \"vectorString\": \"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H\", \"integrityImpact\": \"HIGH\", \"userInteraction\": \"REQUIRED\", \"attackComplexity\": \"LOW\", \"availabilityImpact\": \"HIGH\", \"privilegesRequired\": \"NONE\", \"confidentialityImpact\": \"NONE\"}}], \"affected\": [{\"vendor\": \"pypa\", \"product\": \"wheel\", \"versions\": [{\"status\": \"affected\", \"version\": \"\u003e= 0.40.0, \u003c 0.46.2\"}]}], \"references\": [{\"url\": \"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/security/advisories/GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx\", \"name\": \"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/security/advisories/GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx\", \"tags\": [\"x_refsource_CONFIRM\"]}, {\"url\": \"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/7a7d2de96b22a9adf9208afcc9547e1001569fef\", \"name\": \"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/7a7d2de96b22a9adf9208afcc9547e1001569fef\", \"tags\": [\"x_refsource_MISC\"]}, {\"url\": \"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/releases/tag/0.46.2\", \"name\": \"https://github.com/pypa/wheel/releases/tag/0.46.2\", \"tags\": [\"x_refsource_MISC\"]}], \"descriptions\": [{\"lang\": \"en\", \"value\": \"wheel is a command line tool for manipulating Python wheel files, as defined in PEP 427. In versions 0.40.0 through 0.46.1, the unpack function is vulnerable to file permission modification through mishandling of file permissions after extraction. The logic blindly trusts the filename from the archive header for the chmod operation, even though the extraction process itself might have sanitized the path. Attackers can craft a malicious wheel file that, when unpacked, changes the permissions of critical system files (e.g., /etc/passwd, SSH keys, config files), allowing for Privilege Escalation or arbitrary code execution by modifying now-writable scripts. This issue has been fixed in version 0.46.2.\"}], \"problemTypes\": [{\"descriptions\": [{\"lang\": \"en\", \"type\": \"CWE\", \"cweId\": \"CWE-22\", \"description\": \"CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (\u0027Path Traversal\u0027)\"}]}, {\"descriptions\": [{\"lang\": \"en\", \"type\": \"CWE\", \"cweId\": \"CWE-732\", \"description\": \"CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource\"}]}], \"providerMetadata\": {\"orgId\": \"a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa\", \"shortName\": \"GitHub_M\", \"dateUpdated\": \"2026-01-23T17:45:05.244Z\"}}}",
      "cveMetadata": "{\"cveId\": \"CVE-2026-24049\", \"state\": \"PUBLISHED\", \"dateUpdated\": \"2026-01-27T14:58:36.933Z\", \"dateReserved\": \"2026-01-20T22:30:11.778Z\", \"assignerOrgId\": \"a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa\", \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-22T04:02:08.706Z\", \"assignerShortName\": \"GitHub_M\"}",
      "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
      "dataVersion": "5.2"
    }
  }
}