CVE-2026-62383Public exploit

Arbitrary file read via unresolved corpus symlinks

Published Aug 22, 2026 · Updated Aug 22, 2026

Path traversal in NLTK 3.10.0 through 3.10.1 allows local users to read process-accessible files through IPIPANCorpusReader. IPIPANCorpusReader's _get_tag() receives a plain string after _list_header_files() or _list_morph_files_by() strips the PathPointer wrapper, then builtin open() follows an unresolved symlink without nltk.pathsec validation. Exploitation requires the ability to plant a symlink in a corpus root; the consequence is limited to files readable by the NLTK process.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.18%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in NLTK 3.10.0 through 3.10.1 allows local users to read process-accessible files through IPIPANCorpusReader. IPIPANCorpusReader's _get_tag() receives a plain string after _list_header_files() or _list_morph_files_by() strips the PathPointer wrapper, then builtin open() follows an unresolved symlink without nltk.pathsec validation. Exploitation requires the ability to plant a symlink in a corpus root; the consequence is limited to files readable by the NLTK process.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-62383
Published
Aug 22, 2026
Updated
Aug 22, 2026
Vendor
NLTK Project
Product
NLTK
Classifications
CWE-22, CWE-59, T1005
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 22, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.10.0 <3.10.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

NLTK Project · NLTKversion=3.10.0 <3.10.2

Published CVSS scores

6.8Ubuntu SecurityCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
5.5NLTK GitHub Security AdvisoryCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
T1005Data from Local System

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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