{"id":"UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293","details":"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.","modified":"2026-06-30T18:18:32.026950317Z","published":"2026-06-22T19:17:00Z","upstream":["CVE-2026-54293"],"references":[{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-54293"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-54293"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://github.com/nltk/nltk/security/advisories/GHSA-p4gq-832x-fm9v"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://github.com/nltk/nltk/pull/3575"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=esm-infra-legacy%2Ftrusty"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.0~b9-0ubuntu4","2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm2","2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm4","2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm5","2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm6"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"python-nltk","binary_version":"2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm6"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}},{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=esm-apps-legacy%2Fxenial"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.0.4-1","3.0.5-1","3.1-1","3.1-1ubuntu0.1","3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm1","3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm2","3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm3","3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm4"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm4","binary_name":"python-nltk"},{"binary_name":"python3-nltk","binary_version":"3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm4"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}},{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Fbionic"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.2.4-1","3.2.5-1","3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1","3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm1","3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm2","3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm3","3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm4"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"python-nltk","binary_version":"3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm4"},{"binary_name":"python3-nltk","binary_version":"3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm4"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}},{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Ffocal"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.4.5-1","3.4.5-2","3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm1","3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm2","3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm3","3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm4"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"python3-nltk","binary_version":"3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm4"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}},{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Fjammy"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.5-1","3.6.5-1","3.6.7-1","3.7-1","3.7-1ubuntu0.1~esm1","3.7-1ubuntu0.1~esm2"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"3.7-1ubuntu0.1~esm2","binary_name":"python3-nltk"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}},{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:24.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Fnoble"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.8.1-1","3.8.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1","3.8.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm2"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"python3-nltk","binary_version":"3.8.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm2"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}},{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:25.10","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=questing"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.9.1-2"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"3.9.1-2","binary_name":"python3-nltk"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}},{"package":{"name":"nltk","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:26.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/nltk?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Fresolute"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["3.9.1-2","3.9.1-2build1","3.9.2-1","3.9.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm1","3.9.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm2"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"python3-nltk","binary_version":"3.9.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm2"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-54293.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.7.5","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"}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