Requests has Insecure Temp File Reuse in its extract_zipped_paths() utility functionGHSA-gc5v-m9x4-r6x2
MEDIUMFix: psf/requests@66d21cbGHSA-gc5v-m9x4-r6x2 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.4) CWE-377 vulnerability in requests. A fix is available for requests — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-gc5v-m9x4-r6x2.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
requestsReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
The requests.utils.extract_zipped_paths() utility function uses a predictable filename when extracting files from zip archives into the system temporary directory. If the target file already exists, it is reused without validation. A local attacker with write access to the temp directory could pre-create a malicious file that would be loaded in place of the legitimate one.
Affected usages
Standard usage of the Requests library is not affected by this vulnerability. Only applications that call extract_zipped_paths() directly are impacted.
Remediation
Upgrade to at least Requests 2.33.0, where the library now extracts files to a non-deterministic location.
If developers are unable to upgrade, they can set TMPDIR in their environment to a directory with restricted write access.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | requests | all versions | 2.33.0pip install --upgrade 'requests==2.33.0' |
Affected Products
requestspythonDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for requests, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update requests to 2.33.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-gc5v-m9x4-r6x2 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-gc5v-m9x4-r6x2 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.4 | rhaii/model-opt-cuda-rhel9:1787151832 | RHSA-2026:57383 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI 3.4 | rhelai3/disk-image-cuda-rhel9:1787310717 | RHSA-2026:59144 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI 3.4 | rhelai3/bootc-aws-cuda-rhel9:1787253912 | RHSA-2026:59151 |
| Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4.18 | odf4/cephcsi-rhel9:1786705347 | RHSA-2026:56431 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-gc5v-m9x4-r6x2 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.