diff --git a/cuda_pathfinder/cuda/pathfinder/_binaries/find_nvidia_binary_utility.py b/cuda_pathfinder/cuda/pathfinder/_binaries/find_nvidia_binary_utility.py
index 834db8fe8fa..ffbf97c315b 100644
--- a/cuda_pathfinder/cuda/pathfinder/_binaries/find_nvidia_binary_utility.py
+++ b/cuda_pathfinder/cuda/pathfinder/_binaries/find_nvidia_binary_utility.py
@@ -139,8 +139,11 @@ def find_nvidia_binary_utility(utility_name: str) -> str | None:
     for sub_dir in candidate_dirs:
         dirs.extend(find_sub_dirs_all_sitepackages(sub_dir.split(os.sep)))
 
-    # 2. Search in Conda environment
-    if (conda_prefix := os.environ.get("CONDA_PREFIX")) is not None:
+    # 2. Search in Conda environment.
+    # An empty CONDA_PREFIX means "not in a conda environment" (same rule as the
+    # other pathfinder search steps). Accepting it would join to a bare "bin",
+    # i.e. a CWD-relative search directory, which is the #2119 hazard.
+    if conda_prefix := os.environ.get("CONDA_PREFIX"):
         if IS_WINDOWS:
             dirs.append(os.path.join(conda_prefix, "Library", "bin"))
         else:
diff --git a/cuda_pathfinder/tests/test_find_nvidia_binaries.py b/cuda_pathfinder/tests/test_find_nvidia_binaries.py
index 2784633ff38..c62320d9fd6 100644
--- a/cuda_pathfinder/tests/test_find_nvidia_binaries.py
+++ b/cuda_pathfinder/tests/test_find_nvidia_binaries.py
@@ -270,6 +270,31 @@ def test_find_binary_without_site_packages_entry(monkeypatch, mocker):
     assert checked == [os.path.join(d, "nvcc") for d in expected_dirs]
 
 
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("clear_find_binary_cache")
+@pytest.mark.agent_authored(model="claude-opus-5")
+def test_find_binary_empty_conda_prefix_does_not_search_cwd(tmp_path, monkeypatch, mocker):
+    # An empty CONDA_PREFIX means "not in a conda environment", the same rule
+    # every other pathfinder search step applies. Treating it as a prefix joins
+    # to a bare "bin", which resolves against the process CWD and reopens the
+    # #2119 binary-planting hazard.
+    cwd = tmp_path / "cwd"
+    decoy_dir = cwd / "bin"
+    decoy_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
+    decoy = decoy_dir / "nvcc"
+    decoy.write_text("")
+    decoy.chmod(0o700)
+    monkeypatch.chdir(cwd)
+
+    mocker.patch.object(binary_finder_module, "IS_WINDOWS", new=False)
+    mocker.patch.object(binary_finder_module.supported_nvidia_binaries, "SITE_PACKAGES_BINDIRS", {})
+    mocker.patch.object(binary_finder_module, "find_sub_dirs_all_sitepackages", return_value=[])
+    monkeypatch.setenv("CONDA_PREFIX", "")
+    mocker.patch.object(binary_finder_module, "get_cuda_path_or_home", return_value=None)
+    mocker.patch.object(binary_finder_module, "_resolve_ctk_root_via_canary", return_value=None)
+
+    assert find_nvidia_binary_utility("nvcc") is None
+
+
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("clear_find_binary_cache")
 def test_find_binary_cache_negative_result(monkeypatch, mocker):
     mocker.patch.object(binary_finder_module, "IS_WINDOWS", new=False)