CVE-2026-24049
wheel Allows Arbitrary File Permission Modification via Path Traversal
Description
wheel is a command line tool for manipulating Python wheel files, as defined in PEP 427. In versions 0.46.1 and below, 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.
INFO
Published Date :
Jan. 22, 2026, 5:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
Jan. 22, 2026, 5:16 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-24049
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update wheel to version 0.46.2.
- Verify file permissions on critical system files.
- Avoid unpacking untrusted wheel files.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-24049.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-24049 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-24049
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-24049 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-24049 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jan. 22, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description wheel is a command line tool for manipulating Python wheel files, as defined in PEP 427. In versions 0.46.1 and below, 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. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-22 Added CWE CWE-732 Added Reference https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/7a7d2de96b22a9adf9208afcc9547e1001569fef Added Reference https://github.com/pypa/wheel/releases/tag/0.46.2 Added Reference https://github.com/pypa/wheel/security/advisories/GHSA-8rrh-rw8j-w5fx