Arbitrary file read via unrestricted filestring path
Published Mar 9, 2026 · Updated Mar 9, 2026
Absolute path traversal in nltk.util.filestring() in NLTK 3.9.2 allows attackers to read local files via crafted path input. The function passes any string argument directly to Python's open() and returns the file contents without restricting the path to an allowed directory. Exploitation requires an application or local caller to pass attacker-controlled input to filestring(); remote exposure exists only when a service does so.
Summary
What happened
Absolute path traversal in nltk.util.filestring() in NLTK 3.9.2 allows attackers to read local files via crafted path input. The function passes any string argument directly to Python's open() and returns the file contents without restricting the path to an allowed directory. Exploitation requires an application or local caller to pass attacker-controlled input to filestring(); remote exposure exists only when a service does so.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-0846
- Published
- Mar 9, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 9, 2026
- Vendor
- NLTK Project
- Product
- NLTK
- Classifications
- CWE-36, CWE-22, T1005
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 9, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 9, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=unspecified <=latest
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- huntr.dev filestring proof of conceptproof of concept · unverified
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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