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Vulnerability Details :

CVE-2026-22701

Summary
Assigner-GitHub_M
Assigner Org ID-a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa
Published At-10 Jan, 2026 | 05:59
Updated At-12 Jan, 2026 | 16:45
Rejected At-
Credits

filelock Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) Symlink Vulnerability in SoftFileLock

filelock is a platform-independent file lock for Python. Prior to version 3.20.3, a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability exists in the SoftFileLock implementation of the filelock package. An attacker with local filesystem access and permission to create symlinks can exploit a race condition between the permission validation and file creation to cause lock operations to fail or behave unexpectedly. The vulnerability occurs in the _acquire() method between raise_on_not_writable_file() (permission check) and os.open() (file creation). During this race window, an attacker can create a symlink at the lock file path, potentially causing the lock to operate on an unintended target file or leading to denial of service. This issue has been patched in version 3.20.3.

Vendors
-
Not available
Products
-
Metrics (CVSS)
VersionBase scoreBase severityVector
Weaknesses
Attack Patterns
Solution/Workaround
References
HyperlinkResource Type
EPSS History
Score
Latest Score
-
N/A
No data available for selected date range
Percentile
Latest Percentile
-
N/A
No data available for selected date range
Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization (SSVC)
▼Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)
cve.org
Assigner:GitHub_M
Assigner Org ID:a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa
Published At:10 Jan, 2026 | 05:59
Updated At:12 Jan, 2026 | 16:45
Rejected At:
▼CVE Numbering Authority (CNA)
filelock Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) Symlink Vulnerability in SoftFileLock

filelock is a platform-independent file lock for Python. Prior to version 3.20.3, a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability exists in the SoftFileLock implementation of the filelock package. An attacker with local filesystem access and permission to create symlinks can exploit a race condition between the permission validation and file creation to cause lock operations to fail or behave unexpectedly. The vulnerability occurs in the _acquire() method between raise_on_not_writable_file() (permission check) and os.open() (file creation). During this race window, an attacker can create a symlink at the lock file path, potentially causing the lock to operate on an unintended target file or leading to denial of service. This issue has been patched in version 3.20.3.

Affected Products
Vendor
tox-dev
Product
filelock
Versions
Affected
  • < 3.20.3
Problem Types
TypeCWE IDDescription
CWECWE-59CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
CWECWE-362CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
CWECWE-367CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Type: CWE
CWE ID: CWE-59
Description: CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Type: CWE
CWE ID: CWE-362
Description: CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
Type: CWE
CWE ID: CWE-367
Description: CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Metrics
VersionBase scoreBase severityVector
3.15.3MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Version: 3.1
Base score: 5.3
Base severity: MEDIUM
Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Metrics Other Info
Impacts
CAPEC IDDescription
Solutions

Configurations

Workarounds

Exploits

Credits

Timeline
EventDate
Replaced By

Rejected Reason

References
HyperlinkResource
https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/security/advisories/GHSA-qmgc-5h2g-mvrw
x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/255ed068bc85d1ef406e50a135e1459170dd1bf0
x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/41b42dd2c72aecf7da83dbda5903b8087dddc4d5
x_refsource_MISC
Hyperlink: https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/security/advisories/GHSA-qmgc-5h2g-mvrw
Resource:
x_refsource_CONFIRM
Hyperlink: https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/255ed068bc85d1ef406e50a135e1459170dd1bf0
Resource:
x_refsource_MISC
Hyperlink: https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/41b42dd2c72aecf7da83dbda5903b8087dddc4d5
Resource:
x_refsource_MISC
▼Authorized Data Publishers (ADP)
CISA ADP Vulnrichment
Affected Products
Metrics
VersionBase scoreBase severityVector
Metrics Other Info
Impacts
CAPEC IDDescription
Solutions

Configurations

Workarounds

Exploits

Credits

Timeline
EventDate
Replaced By

Rejected Reason

References
HyperlinkResource
Information is not available yet
▼National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
nvd.nist.gov
Source:security-advisories@github.com
Published At:10 Jan, 2026 | 06:15
Updated At:13 Jan, 2026 | 14:03

filelock is a platform-independent file lock for Python. Prior to version 3.20.3, a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability exists in the SoftFileLock implementation of the filelock package. An attacker with local filesystem access and permission to create symlinks can exploit a race condition between the permission validation and file creation to cause lock operations to fail or behave unexpectedly. The vulnerability occurs in the _acquire() method between raise_on_not_writable_file() (permission check) and os.open() (file creation). During this race window, an attacker can create a symlink at the lock file path, potentially causing the lock to operate on an unintended target file or leading to denial of service. This issue has been patched in version 3.20.3.

CISA Catalog
Date AddedDue DateVulnerability NameRequired Action
N/A
Date Added: N/A
Due Date: N/A
Vulnerability Name: N/A
Required Action: N/A
Metrics
TypeVersionBase scoreBase severityVector
Secondary3.15.3MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Type: Secondary
Version: 3.1
Base score: 5.3
Base severity: MEDIUM
Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
CPE Matches

Weaknesses
CWE IDTypeSource
CWE-59Primarysecurity-advisories@github.com
CWE-362Primarysecurity-advisories@github.com
CWE-367Primarysecurity-advisories@github.com
CWE ID: CWE-59
Type: Primary
Source: security-advisories@github.com
CWE ID: CWE-362
Type: Primary
Source: security-advisories@github.com
CWE ID: CWE-367
Type: Primary
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Evaluator Description

Evaluator Impact

Evaluator Solution

Vendor Statements

References
HyperlinkSourceResource
https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/255ed068bc85d1ef406e50a135e1459170dd1bf0security-advisories@github.com
N/A
https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/41b42dd2c72aecf7da83dbda5903b8087dddc4d5security-advisories@github.com
N/A
https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/security/advisories/GHSA-qmgc-5h2g-mvrwsecurity-advisories@github.com
N/A
Hyperlink: https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/255ed068bc85d1ef406e50a135e1459170dd1bf0
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Resource: N/A
Hyperlink: https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/commit/41b42dd2c72aecf7da83dbda5903b8087dddc4d5
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Resource: N/A
Hyperlink: https://github.com/tox-dev/filelock/security/advisories/GHSA-qmgc-5h2g-mvrw
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Resource: N/A

Change History

0
Information is not available yet

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CWE ID-CWE-59
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