CVE-2026-54293
Description
A flaw was found in NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit). The nltk.data.load() function is vulnerable to path traversal when processing specially crafted nltk: URLs. An attacker can exploit a decode-after-check flaw, where URL-encoded path separators and traversal segments bypass security checks. This allows the attacker to read arbitrary files from the filesystem, leading to information disclosure.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated Important because a remote attacker may be able to read arbitrary local files on a system where an application passes untrusted input to nltk.data.load() using the nltk: URL scheme.
Exploitation requires an application that loads NLTK resources from attacker-influenced identifiers. Many Red Hat products ship nltk as a bundled dependency without exposing this code path to untrusted input. Affected packages should be updated to nltk 3.10.0 or later when fixes are released.
Mitigation
Update the nltk package to version 3.10.0 or later when a stable release is available. Upstream has fixed this issue in 3.10.0-rc1.
Until updated builds are available, do not pass attacker-controlled resource identifiers to nltk.data.load() when using the nltk: URL scheme. Restrict NLTK data loading to trusted, application-controlled paths.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.5 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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