📄 Description (English)
pymanager included the current working directory in sys.path meaning modules could be shadowed by modules in the current working directory. As a result, if a user executes a pymanager-generated command (e.g., pip, pytest)
from an attacker-controlled directory, a malicious module in that
directory can be imported and executed instead of the intended package.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2026-5271 is a high-severity arbitrary code execution vulnerability in pymanager 26.0 that allows attackers to execute malicious Python modules by exploiting unsafe sys.path manipulation. When users execute pymanager-generated commands (pip, pytest) from attacker-controlled directories, malicious modules can shadow legitimate packages. This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi development teams and DevOps environments where code execution occurs in shared or untrusted directories.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 27, 2026 04:18
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily impacts Saudi technology sector organizations including: (1) Government IT departments and NCA-regulated entities using Python development tools; (2) Banking and financial institutions (SAMA-regulated) with development pipelines; (3) Telecommunications companies (STC, Mobily) with DevOps infrastructure; (4) Energy sector (ARAMCO, SEC) with automation scripts; (5) Healthcare organizations with medical software development. Risk is elevated in shared development environments, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized deployments common in Saudi enterprises. Supply chain attacks are possible if malicious code is injected into shared repositories or build systems.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government & Public Administration
Banking & Financial Services
Telecommunications
Energy & Utilities
Healthcare
Software Development & IT Services
Education & Research
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1036 - Masquerading (module shadowing)
T1574.007 - Hijacking Execution Flow (sys.path manipulation)
T1204.005 - User Execution (executing commands from attacker-controlled directory)
T1547.013 - Boot or Logon Initialization Scripts (persistence via module injection)
T1059.006 - Python execution
T1195.001 - Supply Chain Compromise (malicious module injection)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all systems running pymanager 26.0 using: pip show pymanager or package inventory tools
2. Restrict execution of pymanager commands to trusted directories only
3. Implement directory-level access controls preventing untrusted users from creating files in execution directories
4. Review recent command execution logs for suspicious module imports
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (until patch available):
5. Use Python virtual environments exclusively; never execute from shared directories
6. Implement strict file permissions (chmod 755) on working directories
7. Deploy SELinux or AppArmor policies restricting module search paths
8. Use containerization (Docker) with read-only filesystems where possible
9. Implement code signing and verification for Python packages
10. Monitor sys.path modifications using auditd rules: auditctl -w /path/to/pymanager -p wa -k pymanager_changes
DETECTION RULES:
11. Alert on unexpected .py files in current working directories before command execution
12. Monitor for sys.path manipulation in process execution logs
13. Track imports of modules from non-standard locations using Python audit hooks
14. Implement YARA rules to detect malicious module patterns in working directories
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع الأنظمة التي تقوم بتشغيل pymanager 26.0 باستخدام: pip show pymanager أو أدوات جرد الحزم
2. تقييد تنفيذ أوامر pymanager على المجلدات الموثوقة فقط
3. تطبيق عناصر تحكم الوصول على مستوى المجلد لمنع المستخدمين غير الموثوقين من إنشاء ملفات
4. مراجعة سجلات تنفيذ الأوامر الأخيرة للبحث عن استيراد وحدات مريبة
عناصر التحكم البديلة (حتى توفر التصحيح):
5. استخدام بيئات Python الافتراضية حصراً؛ عدم التنفيذ من المجلدات المشتركة
6. تطبيق أذونات ملفات صارمة (chmod 755) على مجلدات العمل
7. نشر سياسات SELinux أو AppArmor تقيد مسارات البحث عن الوحدات
8. استخدام الحاويات (Docker) مع أنظمة ملفات للقراءة فقط حيث أمكن
9. تطبيق التوقيع والتحقق من الكود لحزم Python
10. مراقبة تعديلات sys.path باستخدام قواعد auditd
قواعد الكشف:
11. تنبيهات على ملفات .py غير المتوقعة في مجلدات العمل الحالية قبل تنفيذ الأوامر
12. مراقبة معالجة sys.path في سجلات تنفيذ العمليات
13. تتبع الاستيراد من مواقع غير قياسية باستخدام خطافات تدقيق Python
14. تطبيق قواعد YARA للكشف عن أنماط الوحدات الضارة
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Access Control Policies (directory permissions)
ECC 2024 A.8.1.1 - Asset Management (inventory of pymanager installations)
ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 - Change Management (patch deployment procedures)
ECC 2024 A.12.4.1 - Event Logging (sys.path modification monitoring)
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-1 - Asset Management (identify all pymanager instances)
SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control (restrict execution directories)
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - Detection and Analysis (monitor module imports)
SAMA CSF RS.MI-2 - Mitigation (implement compensating controls)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.15 - Access Control (directory-level restrictions)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - Asset Management (inventory and tracking)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.32 - Change Management (patch procedures)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.15 - Logging (audit trail of module execution)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 2.2.4 - Configure system security parameters (sys.path hardening)
PCI DSS 6.2 - Ensure security patches are installed (when available)
PCI DSS 10.2 - Implement automated audit trails (module import logging)
🔗 References & Sources 3
🔗
https://github.com/python/pymanager/security/advisories/GHSA-jr5x-hgm4-rrm6
cna@python.org
Exploit
Vendor Advisory
🔗
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/01/5
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Mailing List
Third Party Advisory
🔗
https://github.com/python/pymanager/security/advisories/GHSA-jr5x-hgm4-rrm6
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Exploit
Vendor Advisory
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
python:pymanager:26.0