GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2: Duplicate Advisory NLTK: Corpus Reader Sandbox Bypass Vulnerability

HIGH
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CVSS 8.2
CWE-73
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.2) nltk: corpus reader sandbox bypass vulnerability (CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path) affecting Duplicate Advisory libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves nltk: corpus reader sandbox bypass. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.2
CWE Classification CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path
Affected Product Duplicate Advisory
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.2

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

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

How to Fix GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2

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-rcw8-9qrw-27m2, 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-73: External Control of File Name or Path, where the product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations. 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-3gq4-3j92-5w49. This link is maintained to preserve external references. ## Original Description 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.

GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2 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-3gq4-3j92-5w49
NVD — GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-79674
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nltk-pat... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nltk-path-traversal-via-corpus-reader-constructors

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2?
GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2 is a security vulnerability in Duplicate Advisory involving NLTK: Corpus Reader Sandbox Bypass under CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path.
Which Duplicate Advisory versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: nltk.
What version fixes GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2?
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-rcw8-9qrw-27m2?
GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2?
GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2 is classified under CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path (The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for GHSA-rcw8-9qrw-27m2?
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-rcw8-9qrw-27m2",
  "modified" : "2026-09-02T14:48:44Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-25T18:31:52Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2026-09-02T14:48:44Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Duplicate Advisory: NLTK: Corpus Reader Sandbox Bypass",
  "details" : "## Duplicate Advisory\n\nThis advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-3gq4-3j92-5w49. This link is maintained to preserve external references.\n\n## Original Description\nNLTK 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.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/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-3gq4-3j92-5w49"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-79674"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nltk-path-traversal-via-corpus-reader-constructors"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-73" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-02T14:48:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-25T16:17:27Z"
  }
}