GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg: Duplicate Advisory Uncontrolled Search Path When Invoking Vulnerability

HIGH
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-426
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) uncontrolled search path when invoking vulnerability (CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path) affecting Duplicate Advisory libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves uncontrolled search path when invoking the graphviz 'dot' binary (cwe-426/cwe-427). Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
Affected Product Duplicate Advisory
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Duplicate Advisory dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

nltk fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install nltk>=Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show nltk

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show nltk

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Duplicate Advisory in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show nltk command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path, where the product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control. In Duplicate Advisory, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Duplicate Advisory This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm. This link is maintained to preserve external references. ## Original Description NLTK versions before 3.10.3 fail to use validated absolute paths when invoking the Graphviz dot binary in dependencygraph.dot2img and AlignedSent._repr_svg_, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious dot binary in the search path or current working directory. Attackers can exploit bare-name binary resolution on Windows via the current working directory or on Unix-like systems via relative PATH entries to execute their binary instead of the legitimate Graphviz tool.

GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg Affected Duplicate Advisory Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
nltk
pypi/nltk
PyPI
≤ 3.10.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/nltk/nltk/security/advisories/GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm
NVD — GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78680
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nltk-bef... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nltk-before-arbitrary-code-execution-via-graphviz-dot-binary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg?
GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg is a security vulnerability in Duplicate Advisory involving Uncontrolled search path when invoking the Graphviz 'dot' binary (CWE-426/CWE-427) under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path.
Which Duplicate Advisory versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: nltk.
What version fixes GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nltk affected?
Yes, nltk is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg?
GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg?
GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path (The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show nltk'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-54xp-3ww7-6wjg",
  "modified" : "2026-09-01T20:25:22Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-25T03:32:11Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2026-09-01T20:25:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Duplicate Advisory: Uncontrolled search path when invoking the Graphviz 'dot' binary (CWE-426/CWE-427)",
  "details" : "## Duplicate Advisory\n\nThis advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm. This link is maintained to preserve external references.\n\n## Original Description\nNLTK versions before 3.10.3 fail to use validated absolute paths when invoking the Graphviz dot binary in dependencygraph.dot2img and AlignedSent._repr_svg_, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious dot binary in the search path or current working directory. Attackers can exploit bare-name binary resolution on Windows via the current working directory or on Unix-like systems via relative PATH entries to execute their binary instead of the legitimate Graphviz tool.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "nltk"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.10.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nltk/nltk/security/advisories/GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78680"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nltk-before-arbitrary-code-execution-via-graphviz-dot-binary"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-426" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-01T20:25:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-25T02:16:52Z"
  }
}