CVE-2026-75059 in PyCharm
Summary
by MITRE • 08/17/2026
In JetBrains PyCharm before 2026.2.1 code execution via Quick Documentation was possible
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2026
The vulnerability identified in JetBrains PyCharm prior to version 2026.2.1 represents a critical security flaw within the integrated development environment's documentation generation subsystem. This issue specifically affects the Quick Documentation feature, which is designed to provide developers with immediate access to function signatures, class definitions, and docstrings without leaving their current editing context. The core of the vulnerability lies in how PyCharm processes and renders this information when it interacts with external tools or interpreters configured within the project settings. Under specific conditions involving malformed or specially crafted input data associated with a Python package's metadata or documentation strings, the application fails to properly sanitize inputs before passing them to underlying rendering engines or shell commands. This lack of rigorous validation allows an attacker who can influence the content displayed in the Quick Documentation view to inject arbitrary code that is subsequently executed by the host system running PyCharm.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command, commonly known as OS command injection. The vulnerability arises because the IDE treats certain metadata fields or documentation content as executable commands rather than static text when generating previews. When a developer navigates to a function or class that has associated maliciously crafted docstrings or package information, PyCharm may invoke system-level processes to format or display this data. If these inputs are not strictly validated against a whitelist of allowed characters and structures, the injected payload can bypass intended restrictions. This is particularly dangerous in development environments where users often run code with elevated privileges or interact directly with local shell interpreters for debugging purposes. The attack vector typically requires social engineering or supply chain compromise, as an attacker must convince a developer to inspect documentation from a maliciously modified package installed in their environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to the privileged nature of development tools. PyCharm often runs with the same permissions as the logged-in user, who may have administrative rights on their workstation or access to sensitive internal networks and repositories. Successful exploitation allows for remote code execution without authentication if a malicious package is installed via pip from an untrusted source, or through man-in-the-middle attacks during dependency installation. An attacker could leverage this to exfiltrate source code, steal environment variables containing API keys or credentials, install persistent backdoors, or pivot into other systems within the organization's network. Given that developers frequently work with proprietary and sensitive intellectual property, the confidentiality and integrity of organizational assets are significantly compromised. Furthermore, because IDEs often have access to local file systems and running processes, the potential for lateral movement increases substantially once initial code execution is achieved.
This vulnerability maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically sub-techniques involving shell commands or Python scripts depending on the implementation details of the exploit chain. It also relates to supply chain attacks where trusted software components are tampered with to distribute malware under the guise of legitimate updates or packages. The presence of such a flaw in widely used IDEs highlights the risk associated with trusting third-party dependencies and the importance of secure coding practices even within tooling that is intended for security professionals and developers alike.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve upgrading JetBrains PyCharm to version 2026.2.1 or later, where this input validation issue has been resolved by implementing stricter sanitization protocols for data passed to documentation rendering components. In the interim, users should exercise extreme caution when installing packages from untrusted repositories such as test.pypi.org without verifying their integrity and source. Enabling strict dependency verification tools like pip-audit can help identify known vulnerabilities in installed libraries before they are imported into projects. Additionally, running IDEs with restricted user privileges rather than administrative rights can limit the blast radius of any potential code execution exploit. Organizations should also implement application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized executables from being spawned by development processes and ensure that all team members adhere to secure coding standards that include regular security audits of third-party dependencies.