Vulnerability in nltk (CVE-2026-79674)
Summary
Vulnerability in nltk (CVE-2026-79674). Confidential information can be exposed externally. Exploitable via nltk.pathsec. Mitigation: upgrade to 3.10.3 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
NLTK versions before 3.10.3 contain a path sandbox bypass vulnerability in corpus-reader constructors that allows attackers to read files outside the intended data root. Attackers can supply arbitrary corpus root paths to LinThesaurusCorpusReader and PanLexLiteCorpusReader constructors to access filesystem content and SQLite databases outside the pathsec sandbox boundary.
Source: GitHub Security Advisories (Global) NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-79674 has been found in nltk.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like nltk.pathsec over the network to misuse the product.
Confidential information can be exposed externally. CVSS score: 8.2/10.
What to do: upgrade nltk to 3.10.3 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "nltk CVE-2026-79674" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-79674 (nltk) — CWE-73 / CVSS v3 8.2
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / unauthenticated / no user interaction
Attack surface: nltk.pathsec / pathsec.open / LinThesaurusCorpusReader / PanLexLiteCorpusReader
Patched: 3.10.3 — apply immediately
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (CWE-73) exists in nltk. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via nltk.pathsec without authentication.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of nltk. Attack surface: nltk.pathsec / pathsec.open / LinThesaurusCorpusReader / PanLexLiteCorpusReader.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.2/10). Confidential information can be exposed externally.
Update to 3.10.3.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Run grep -r 'nltk' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
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1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'nltk' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
nltkを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Apply patch patch
Upgrade nltk to 3.10.3ステージング環境で 3.10.3 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスを含めること。
-
3Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
Fix status by distribution
Fixed packages published by each distribution for this CVE
- Debian DEBIAN-CVE-2026-79674 nltk
- Ubuntu UBUNTU-CVE-2026-79674 nltk
References
- advisory github.com
- advisory nvd.nist.gov
- advisory vulncheck.com
- advisory github.com
- package github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com