diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index e252c75..52e92bc 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@ All notable changes to this project are documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [v1.1.3]
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Removed unsafe use of `exec` and `eval` in `message_adapter.__assignJsonPathValue`
+
 ## [v1.1.2]
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9da64a5..d3628fe 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,19 +6,20 @@
 
 Read more about how the `cumulus-message-adapter` works in the [CONTRACT.md](./CONTRACT.md).
 
-
 ## Releases
 
 ### Release Versions
-Please note the following convention for release versions: 
 
-X.Y.Z: where: 
+Please note the following convention for release versions:
+
+X.Y.Z: where:
 
 * X is an organizational release that signifies the completion of a core set of functionality
 * Y is a major version release that may include incompatible API changes and/or other breaking changes
 * Z is a minor version that includes bugfixes and backwards compatible improvements
 
 ### Continuous Integration
+
 [CircleCI](https://circleci.com/gh/nasa/cumulus-message-adapter) manages releases and release assets.
 
 Whenever CircleCI passes on the master branch of cumulus-message-adapter and `message_adapter/version.py` has been updated with a version that doesn't match an existing tag, CircleCI will:
@@ -33,8 +34,10 @@ These steps are fully detailed in the [`.circleci/config.yml`](./.circleci/confi
 
 ### Dependency Installation
 
-    $ pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
-    $ pip install -r requirements.txt
+```shell
+pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
 
 ### Running Tests
 
@@ -42,38 +45,38 @@ Running tests requires [localstack](https://github.com/localstack/localstack).
 
 Tests only require localstack running S3, which can be initiated with the following command:
 
-```
-$ SERVICES=s3 localstack start
+```shell
+SERVICES=s3 localstack start
 ```
 
 And then you can check tests pass with the following nosetests command:
 
-```
-$ CUMULUS_ENV=testing nosetests -v -s
+```shell
+CUMULUS_ENV=testing nosetests -v -s
 ```
 
 ### Linting
 
-     $ pylint message_adapter
+```shell
+pylint message_adapter
+```
 
 ### Contributing
 
 If changes are made to the codebase, you can create the cumulus-message-adapter zip archive for testing libraries that require it:
 
-```bash
-$ make clean
-$ make cumulus-message-adapter.zip
+```shell
+make clean
+make cumulus-message-adapter.zip
 ```
 
 Then you can run some integration tests:
 
-```bash
-./examples/example-node-message-adapter-lib.js 
+```shell
+./examples/example-node-message-adapter-lib.js
 ```
 
-
 ### Troubleshooting
 
 * Error: "DistutilsOptionError: must supply either home or prefix/exec-prefix — not both" when running `make cumulus-message-adapter.zip`
   * [Solution](https://stackoverflow.com/a/24357384)
-
diff --git a/message_adapter/message_adapter.py b/message_adapter/message_adapter.py
index 3ac69d8..bf63ab9 100644
--- a/message_adapter/message_adapter.py
+++ b/message_adapter/message_adapter.py
@@ -1,18 +1,15 @@
 import os
 import json
 import re
-import warnings
 import sys
 
+from copy import deepcopy
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 import uuid
 from jsonpath_ng import parse
 from jsonschema import validate
-from collections import defaultdict
-from copy import deepcopy
 from .aws import stepFn, s3
 
-
 class message_adapter:
     """
     transforms the cumulus message
@@ -227,7 +224,7 @@ def __validate_json(self, document, schema_type):
                 raise e
 
     # Config templating
-    def __resolvePathStr(self, event, str):
+    def __resolvePathStr(self, event, jsonPathString):
         """
         * Given a Cumulus message (AWS Lambda event) and a string containing a JSONPath
         * template to interpret, returns the result of interpreting that template.
@@ -243,32 +240,31 @@ def __resolvePathStr(self, event, str):
         * It's likely we'll need some sort of bracket-escaping at some point down the line
         *
         * @param {*} event The Cumulus message
-        * @param {*} str A string containing a JSONPath template to resolve
+        * @param {*} jsonPathString A string containing a JSONPath template to resolve
         * @returns {*} The resolved object
         """
-        valueRegex = '^{[^\[\]].*}$'
-        arrayRegex = '^{\[.*\]}$'
+        valueRegex = r"^{[^\[\]].*}$"
+        arrayRegex = r"^{\[.*\]}$"
         templateRegex = '{[^}]+}'
 
-        if (re.search(valueRegex, str)):
-            matchData = parse(str.lstrip('{').rstrip('}')).find(event)
-            return matchData[0].value if len(matchData) > 0 else None
+        if re.search(valueRegex, jsonPathString):
+            matchData = parse(jsonPathString.lstrip('{').rstrip('}')).find(event)
+            return matchData[0].value if matchData else None
 
-        elif (re.search(arrayRegex, str)):
-            matchData = parse(str.lstrip('{').rstrip('}').lstrip('[').rstrip(']')).find(event)
-            return [item.value for item in matchData] if len(matchData) > 0 else []
+        elif re.search(arrayRegex, jsonPathString):
+            parsedJsonPath = jsonPathString.lstrip('{').rstrip('}').lstrip('[').rstrip(']');
+            matchData = parse(parsedJsonPath).find(event)
+            return [item.value for item in matchData] if matchData else []
 
-        elif (re.search(templateRegex, str)):
-            matches = re.findall(templateRegex, str)
+        elif re.search(templateRegex, jsonPathString):
+            matches = re.findall(templateRegex, jsonPathString)
             for match in matches:
                 matchData = parse(match.lstrip('{').rstrip('}')).find(event)
-                if len(matchData) > 0:
-                    str = str.replace(match, matchData[0].value)
-            return str
+                if matchData:
+                    jsonPathString = jsonPathString.replace(match, matchData[0].value)
+            return jsonPathString
 
-        return str
-
-        raise LookupError('Could not resolve path ' + str)
+        return jsonPathString
 
     def __resolveConfigObject(self, event, config):
         """
@@ -347,7 +343,7 @@ def loadNestedEvent(self, event, context):
         if finalConfig is not None:
             response['config'] = finalConfig
         if 'cumulus_message' in config:
-            response['messageConfig'] = config[ 'cumulus_message']
+            response['messageConfig'] = config['cumulus_message']
 
         # add cumulus_config property, only selective attributes from event.cumulus_meta are added
         if 'cumulus_meta' in event:
@@ -379,21 +375,21 @@ def __assignJsonPathValue(self, message, jspath, value):
         * @param {*} message The message to be update
         * @return {*} updated message
         """
-        if len(parse(jspath).find(message)) > 0:
-            parse(jspath).update(message, value)
-        else:
+        if not parse(jspath).find(message):
             paths = jspath.lstrip('$.').split('.')
             currentItem = message
-            dictPath = str()
             keyNotFound = False
             for path in paths:
-                dictPath += "['" + path + "']"
                 if keyNotFound or path not in currentItem:
                     keyNotFound = True
-                    exec("message" + dictPath + " = {}")
-                currentItem = eval("message" + dictPath)
-
-            exec("message" + dictPath + " = value")
+                    newPathDict = {}
+                    # Add missing key to existing dict
+                    currentItem[path] = newPathDict
+                    # Set current item to newly created dict
+                    currentItem = newPathDict
+                else:
+                    currentItem = currentItem[path]
+        parse(jspath).update(message, value)
         return message
 
     def __assignOutputs(self, handlerResponse, event, messageConfig):
diff --git a/message_adapter/version.py b/message_adapter/version.py
index 218644a..8f688c6 100644
--- a/message_adapter/version.py
+++ b/message_adapter/version.py
@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = 'v1.1.2'
\ No newline at end of file
+__version__ = 'v1.1.3'
diff --git a/tests/test-module.py b/tests/test-module.py
index 4148733..0bc92ac 100644
--- a/tests/test-module.py
+++ b/tests/test-module.py
@@ -201,6 +201,31 @@ def test_result_payload_with_nested_config_outputs(self):
             self.nested_response, {}, message_config_with_nested_outputs)
         assert result['payload'] == {'dataLocation': 's3://source.jpg'}
 
+    def test_result_payload_with_nested_sibling_config_outputs(self):
+        """
+        Test nested payload value is updated when messageConfig contains
+        outputs templates where sibling nodes exist
+        """
+        message_config_with_nested_outputs = {
+            'outputs': [{
+                'source': '{$.input.dataLocation}',
+                'destination': '{$.test.dataLocation}'
+            }]
+        }
+
+        event = {
+            'test': {
+                'key': 'value'
+            }
+        }
+
+        result = self.cumulus_message_adapter._message_adapter__assignOutputs( # pylint: disable=no-member
+            self.nested_response, event, message_config_with_nested_outputs)
+        assert result['test'] == {
+            'dataLocation': 's3://source.jpg',
+            'key': 'value'
+        }
+
     # createNextEvent tests
     def test_with_replace(self):
         """