Path Traversal in nltk/nltk
- Published
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Not listed in CISA KEV
- Fix
- Fixed in 3.9.3
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- 1 proof of concept on GitHub
- Exploitation: poc
- Automatable: yes
- Technical impact: partial
Summary
A vulnerability in NLTK versions up to and including 3.9.2 allows arbitrary file read via path traversal in multiple CorpusReader classes, including WordListCorpusReader, TaggedCorpusReader, and BracketParseCorpusReader. These classes fail to properly sanitize or validate file paths, enabling attackers to traverse directories and access sensitive files on the server. This issue is particularly critical in scenarios where user-controlled file inputs are processed, such as in machine learning APIs, chatbots, or NLP pipelines. Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive files, including system files, SSH private keys, and API tokens, and may potentially escalate to remote code execution when combined with other vulnerabilities.
Timeline
- CVE published
- CISA SSVC assessment
Exploitation: poc · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: partial
- Record last updated
Affected versions
- nltk nltk/nltk
Version range not reported
- nltkPyPI
fixed in 3.9.3
- nltkPyPI
through 3.9.2