CVE-2022-26488In Python before 3.10.3 on Windows, local users can gain privileges because the search path is inadequately secured. The installer may…
- 7.0HighCVSS base score
- 1.5%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 25% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
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.
Timeline
ID reserved
By mitre
- 1 day later
· 1 day later
Published
- 5 years later
· 5 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | High7.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 1.5% · top 25% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.0.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
References3
- https://mail.python.org/archives/list/security-announce%40python.org/thread/657Z4XULWZNIY5FRP3OWXHYKUSIH6DMN/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220419-0005/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html (opens in a new tab)
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2022-31046 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2022-26488)Record last updated .