Arbitrary file read via inert sandbox check
Published Aug 22, 2026 · Updated Aug 22, 2026
Improper access control in NLTK before 3.10.0 allows remote authenticated users to read process-accessible files through file URLs. FileSystemPathPointer.open() normalizes its stored path, then compares that result with the same normalization, so the rejection branch is unreachable. Exploitation requires an application to pass attacker-controlled file:// URLs to nltk.data.load(); disclosure is limited to files readable by the process user.
Summary
What happened
Improper access control in NLTK before 3.10.0 allows remote authenticated users to read process-accessible files through file URLs. FileSystemPathPointer.open() normalizes its stored path, then compares that result with the same normalization, so the rejection branch is unreachable. Exploitation requires an application to pass attacker-controlled file:// URLs to nltk.data.load(); disclosure is limited to files readable by the process user.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-65915
- Published
- Aug 22, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 22, 2026
- Vendor
- NLTK Project
- Product
- NLTK
- Classifications
- CWE-284, T1005
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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.
- Affected versionversion=0 <3.10.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Public exploit references
- FileSystemPathPointer arbitrary-file-read proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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