CVE-2026-24049

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.

What this means for your business

It affects Wheel Project Wheel. It matters if your company, or a supplier that handles your data, runs it.
Code showing how to exploit it has been published, but real attacks have not been confirmed.
An attacker can use it only with access to the machine itself, without a login, but only after tricking someone into an action such as opening a file or a link.
FIRST's prediction model gives it a 0.3% chance of attack attempts being seen in the next 30 days, ranking above 25% of all known flaws.

What to do

1Check whether your company or your suppliers run Wheel Project Wheel, and which version. The affected versions are listed further down this page.
2If you do, apply the vendor's fix. A patch or vendor advisory has been published.

Not sure if your company is exposed?

Fastnexa’s certified penetration testers can check whether attackers could use this flaw, or others like it, against your websites, apps and network. The full test is free for our first 10 founding clients until 31 December 2026.

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Scoring

CVSS: 7.1 (v3.1)
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Weakness: CWE-22
Assigned by: security-advisories@github.com

Dates

Published: 2026-01-22
Last modified: 2026-09-10
Sources: NVD

Affected products

Wheel Project Wheel0.40.0 - 0.46.2

As listed in the NVD configuration data. Not a statement about your estate.