To install security patches after the last full bugfix release, you must build Python from source:

Compile the Binaries

  1. Install Visual Studio 2019 Community and select:
  • the Python development workload, and

  • the Python native development tools (this is under Optional, but is necessary in order to build python from source)

  1. Download the python source code and unzip it.

  2. Navigate to the folder and install required external dependencies by running PCbuild\get_externals.bat

  3. Build the debug (python_d.exe) and release (python.exe) binaries

> PCbuild\build.bat -p x64 -c Debug
> PCbuild\build.bat -p x64 -c Release

you can also build the Profile Guided Optimization (pgo) binary

> PCbuild\build.bat -p x64 --pgo

The binaries on python.org are run through PGO by default, so a --pgo binary will be faster than a -c Release binary. The debug binary is necessary for adding breakpoints and debugging your code.

All built binaries are placed in PCbuild\amd64.

Build the Installer

The instructions for building an installer are in Tools\msi\README.txt.

  1. Download the extra build dependencies by running Tools\msi\get_externals.bat

NOTE: This is done in addition to running PCbuild/get_externals.bat.

It installs additional binaries to externals\windows-installer that are needed for making installers. Specifically,

  • WiX (wix.exe), which is a toolset that lets developers create installers for Windows Installer, the Windows installation engine.
  • HTML Help (htmlhelp), which is for building documentation.
  1. Turn on .NET Framework 3.5 Features under Turn Windows features on or off

NOTE: This is required by WiX.

  1. Build the installer by running
> .\Tools\msi\buildrelease.bat -x64

NOTE: Be sure the following environment variables are properly set or left blank so the script can set them:

PYTHON=<path to python.exe>
SPHINXBUILD=<path to sphinx-build.exe>

The installer will be placed in PCbuild\amd64\en-us. It is a single .exe (the installer entry point). The folder will also have a number of additional CAB and MSI files. Each MSI contains the logic required to install a component or feature of Python, but these should not be run directly.

Specify --pack to build an installer that does not require all MSIs to be available alongside. This takes longer, but is easier to share.

Answer from adam.hendry on Stack Overflow
🌐
Python
devguide.python.org › versions
Status of Python versions
Once a version has been fully released, bug fixes and security fixes are accepted. New binaries are built and released roughly every two months.
Top answer
1 of 3
20

To install security patches after the last full bugfix release, you must build Python from source:

Compile the Binaries

  1. Install Visual Studio 2019 Community and select:
  • the Python development workload, and

  • the Python native development tools (this is under Optional, but is necessary in order to build python from source)

  1. Download the python source code and unzip it.

  2. Navigate to the folder and install required external dependencies by running PCbuild\get_externals.bat

  3. Build the debug (python_d.exe) and release (python.exe) binaries

> PCbuild\build.bat -p x64 -c Debug
> PCbuild\build.bat -p x64 -c Release

you can also build the Profile Guided Optimization (pgo) binary

> PCbuild\build.bat -p x64 --pgo

The binaries on python.org are run through PGO by default, so a --pgo binary will be faster than a -c Release binary. The debug binary is necessary for adding breakpoints and debugging your code.

All built binaries are placed in PCbuild\amd64.

Build the Installer

The instructions for building an installer are in Tools\msi\README.txt.

  1. Download the extra build dependencies by running Tools\msi\get_externals.bat

NOTE: This is done in addition to running PCbuild/get_externals.bat.

It installs additional binaries to externals\windows-installer that are needed for making installers. Specifically,

  • WiX (wix.exe), which is a toolset that lets developers create installers for Windows Installer, the Windows installation engine.
  • HTML Help (htmlhelp), which is for building documentation.
  1. Turn on .NET Framework 3.5 Features under Turn Windows features on or off

NOTE: This is required by WiX.

  1. Build the installer by running
> .\Tools\msi\buildrelease.bat -x64

NOTE: Be sure the following environment variables are properly set or left blank so the script can set them:

PYTHON=<path to python.exe>
SPHINXBUILD=<path to sphinx-build.exe>

The installer will be placed in PCbuild\amd64\en-us. It is a single .exe (the installer entry point). The folder will also have a number of additional CAB and MSI files. Each MSI contains the logic required to install a component or feature of Python, but these should not be run directly.

Specify --pack to build an installer that does not require all MSIs to be available alongside. This takes longer, but is easier to share.

2 of 3
1

I managed to install python of version 3.6.13 using conda
Just install python 3.6 in separate invironment:

conda create -n myenvironment python=3.6
conda activate myenvironment
python --vesion

Or point out specific version:

conda create -n myenvironment python=3.6.13

Check all available versions:

conda search python
Discussions

Corporate IT have banned all versions of python lower than the latest
Don't know what your environments look like, but we upgraded almost all of ours to 3.12, I would definitely recommend it. Most packages are already up to date. That being said, if IT doesn't understand why you might need to run 3.11 for some packages, can't you simply provide them a list of the packages that don't support 3.12 and tell them you'll upgrade those systems when their dependencies catch up? More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Python
218
942
November 21, 2023
Python 3.7.9 and 3.6.12 security updates now available
Python 3.7.9 and 3.6.12, the lastest security fix rollups for Python 3.7 and Python 3.6, are now available. You can find the release files including updated binary installers for 3.7.9, links to the changelogs, and more information here: Note that Python 3.8 is now the latest feature release ... More on discuss.python.org
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0
0
August 17, 2020
Security updates, need to recompile?
From my understanding somewhat critical security updates are released for Python every few months. Does this mean if a software company or even me who have written some simpler programs using Python need to recompile every few months using the latest Python version available to keep the application ... More on discuss.python.org
🌐 discuss.python.org
2
0
October 16, 2021
The final Python 3.9 security fix release is out! - Core Development - Discussions on Python.org
If you’re still using that, grab the sources and build the update as there’s some final fixes: Security content (low severity) There are no CVEs for those, and so other Python versions will be released with those low-priority fixes at a later date. gh-136063: email.message: ensured linear ... More on discuss.python.org
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46
October 31, 2025
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Python
python.org › dev › security
Python Security | Python.org
Security advisories are published to multiple public locations. Advisories are sent via email to the security-announce@python.org mailing list. Subscribe to the mailing list if you'd like to be updated on newly published security advisories.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/python › corporate it have banned all versions of python lower than the latest
r/Python on Reddit: Corporate IT have banned all versions of python lower than the latest
November 21, 2023 -

I.e. right now they are insisting we use v3.12 only because older versions have some vulnerabilities their scanner picked up.

I need to somehow explain that this is a terrible idea and that many packages won't support the most up to date version without causing them to panic and overstep even more.

This requirement is company wide (affects development, data science and analytics).

Edit - thanks for all the advice, I think the crux is that they don't understand how the versioning works and are confusing major and minor versions. I will explain this and hopefully we will be able to use the latest minor versions for 3.11/3.10/3.9

🌐
Python
python.org › downloads › release › python-3925
Python Release Python 3.9.25 | Python.org
October 31, 2025 - According to the release calendar ... stage of its life cycle: the 3.9 branch only accepts security fixes and releases of those are made irregularly in source-only form until the end of October 2025....
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Python
python.org › downloads › release › python-31212
Python Release Python 3.12.12 | Python.org
Note: The release you're looking at is Python 3.12.12, a security bugfix release for the legacy 3.12 series. Python 3.14 is now the latest feature release series of Python 3.
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Python
blog.python.org › 2021 › 02 › python-3710-and-3613-security-updates.html
Python Insider: Python 3.7.10 and 3.6.13 security updates now available
Python 3.7.10 and 3.6.13, the lastest security fix rollups for Python 3.7 and Python 3.6, are now available.
🌐
Python.org
discuss.python.org › python help
Python 3.7.9 and 3.6.12 security updates now available - Python Help - Discussions on Python.org
August 17, 2020 - Python 3.7.9 and 3.6.12, the lastest security fix rollups for Python 3.7 and Python 3.6, are now available. You can find the release files including updated binary installers for 3.7.9, links to the changelogs, and more …
Find elsewhere
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End of Life Date
endoflife.date › python
Python | endoflife.date
March 4, 2026 - The end-of-life is scheduled 5 ... gets: 2 years of planned releases with bugfixes. 3 years of only security fixes and source distribution without precompiled binaries ·...
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Python.org
discuss.python.org › python help
Security updates, need to recompile? - Python Help - Discussions on Python.org
October 16, 2021 - From my understanding somewhat critical security updates are released for Python every few months. Does this mean if a software company or even me who have written some simpler programs using Python need to recompile e…
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Readthedocs
python-security.readthedocs.io
Python Security — Python Security 0.0 documentation
Status of Python branches lists Python branches which get security fixes.
🌐
Python.org
discuss.python.org › core development
The final Python 3.9 security fix release is out! - Core Development - Discussions on Python.org
October 31, 2025 - Python 3.9.25 is available now! If you’re still using that, grab the sources and build the update as there’s some final fixes: Security content (low severity) There are no CVEs for those, and so other Python versions will be released with ...
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Caasify
caasify.com › home › blog › how to update python version: the complete guide for 2025
How to Update Python Version: The Complete Guide for 2025 | Caasify
December 8, 2025 - No new updates or support are available for Python 2.x, making it an insecure choice for new development. Python 3.x: This is the latest and recommended version for all new projects. Python 3 offers many improvements over Python 2, including better syntax, library support, and security features.
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Heroku Dev Center
devcenter.heroku.com › changelog-items › 3504
Python 3.14.2 and 3.13.11 are now available | Heroku Dev Center
December 5, 2025 - In addition, we have updated the Python 3.14 and 3.13 major version aliases to resolve to these new Python patch versions. We strongly recommend that you use a major version alias when specifying a Python version for your app instead of pinning to an exact patch version, so that your app receives ...
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Heroku Dev Center
devcenter.heroku.com › changelog-items › 3639
Python 3.14.4 and 3.13.13 are now available | Heroku Dev Center
In addition, we have updated the Python 3.14 and 3.13 major version aliases to resolve to these new Python patch versions. We strongly recommend that you use a major version alias when specifying a Python version for your app instead of pinning to an exact patch version, so that your app receives ...
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PyPI
pypi.org › project › safety
safety · PyPI
Versatile, comprehensive dependency security scanning for Python packages. Leverages Safety DB, the most comprehensive vulnerability data available for Python. Clear output with detailed recommendations for vulnerability remediation. Automatically updates requirements files to secure versions of dependencies where available, guided by your project's policy settings.
      » pip install safety
    
Published   Nov 06, 2025
Version   3.7.0
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Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 1661948 › microsoft-vulnerability-manager-security-recommend
Microsoft Vulnerability Manager Security Recommendations - Python - Microsoft Q&A
Microsoft Vulnerability Manager Security Recommendations is advising to Update Python as it is currently version 3.7.7.0 however, when installing Python latest version (3.12.30) from https://www.python.org/downloads/ it is still reporting on Microsoft…
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TuxCare
tuxcare.com › home › endless security: long-term patching for python eol systems
Endless Security: Long-Term Patching for Python EOL Systems
October 8, 2025 - TuxCare offers Endless Lifecycle Support for Python which enables you to continue using your existing Python-based applications, all while you continue to receive security updates for high and critical vulnerabilities. It provides security patches for vulnerabilities in Python software running on AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.
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Python
python.org › downloads › release › python-31112
Python Release Python 3.11.12 | Python.org
April 8, 2025 - gh-131261: Update libexpat to 2.7.0 ... only" stage of its life cycle: 3.11 branch only accepts security fixes and releases of those are made irregularly in source-only form until October 2027....