NLTK version 3.9.4 is vulnerable to a path traversal attack due to an incomplete fix for GitHub Issue #3504. The `_UNSAFE_NO_PROTOCOL_RE` regex in `nltk/data.py` checks for literal `../` sequences but fails to account for percent-encoded traversal sequences such as `..%2f`. The `url2pathname()` function decodes these sequences after the validation step, allowing an attacker to bypass the protection. This vulnerability enables an attacker to read arbitrary files accessible to the Python process by controlling the resource name parameter passed to `nltk.data.load()` or `nltk.data.find()`. The issue affects applications that rely on NLTK for resource loading, including NLP web applications, Jupyter notebooks, and CLI tools. The default `pathsec.ENFORCE=False` setting exacerbates the impact by not blocking the file read at the `open()` stage.
References
| Link | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://huntr.com/bounties/39aa9354-54ca-4e77-96da-580eb1fe6ed1 | Exploit Mitigation Third Party Advisory |
| https://huntr.com/bounties/39aa9354-54ca-4e77-96da-580eb1fe6ed1 | Exploit Mitigation Third Party Advisory |
Configurations
History
30 Jun 2026, 20:10
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| CPE | cpe:2.3:a:nltk:nltk:3.9.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| First Time |
Nltk
Nltk nltk |
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| References | () https://huntr.com/bounties/39aa9354-54ca-4e77-96da-580eb1fe6ed1 - Exploit, Mitigation, Third Party Advisory |
30 Jun 2026, 14:16
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References | () https://huntr.com/bounties/39aa9354-54ca-4e77-96da-580eb1fe6ed1 - |
30 Jun 2026, 01:16
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| New CVE |
Information
Published : 2026-06-30 01:16
Updated : 2026-06-30 20:10
NVD link : CVE-2026-12243
Mitre link : CVE-2026-12243
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2026-12243
JSON object : View
Products Affected
nltk
- nltk
CWE
CWE-22
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
