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Directory Traversal Affecting py3-nltk package, versions <3.10.0-r0

Severity

 Recommended
low

Based on default assessment until relevant scores are available.

Threat Intelligence

EPSS
0.56% (43rd percentile)

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  • Snyk IDSNYK-CHAINGUARDLATEST-PY3NLTK-17896650
  • published9 Jul 2026
  • disclosed22 Jun 2026
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Introduced: 22 Jun 2026

CVE-2026-54293  (opens in a new tab)
CWE-22  (opens in a new tab)

How to fix?

Upgrade Chainguard py3-nltk to version 3.10.0-r0 or higher.

NVD Description

Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream py3-nltk package and not the py3-nltk package as distributed by Chainguard. See How to fix? for Chainguard relevant fixed versions and status.

NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) is a suite of open source Python modules, data sets, and tutorials supporting research and development in Natural Language Processing. Prior to 3.10.0-rc1, nltk.data.load() in NLTK is vulnerable to path traversal via URL-encoded path separators and traversal segments when using the nltk: URL scheme. The unsafe-path regex check is performed before url2pathname() decodes the %xx sequences (a classic decode-after-check / TOCTOU-style flaw), allowing an attacker to bypass the protection documented in NLTK's SECURITY.md and read arbitrary files from the filesystem. While literal traversal strings such as ../../../etc/passwd are correctly blocked, encoded variants such as %2fetc%2fpasswd, %2e%2e%2f..., and ..%2f..%2f slip past the regex and are subsequently decoded into a real filesystem path. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.10.0-rc1.