Description
virtualenv is a tool for creating isolated virtual python environments. Prior to 21.13.0, the bash activate script that zsh also sources leaves the environment name unescaped; from 21.13.0 until 21.14.4, it escapes backslashes, dollar signs, and backticks only when BASH_VERSION is set, so zsh receives the raw value. The script assigns that value to PS1. In zsh with PROMPT_SUBST, an attacker-influenced environment directory, --prompt, or VIRTUALENV_PROMPT value containing command, parameter, or arithmetic expansion syntax can therefore execute commands in the user's shell each time the prompt is drawn. A percent sign is separately interpreted as a zsh prompt escape but does not by itself execute commands. Plain zsh with PROMPT_SUBST disabled and bash are not affected by this mechanism. This issue is fixed in version 21.14.4.
References3
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
7.8
HIGH
Score source: CNA
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - EPSS — exploit probability
- 0% percentile: 28 · as of 9 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-78CWE-116
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