CVE-2026-78680Public exploit

Arbitrary code execution via bare dot resolution

Published Aug 25, 2026 · Updated Aug 25, 2026

Untrusted search path handling in NLTK before 3.10.3 allows local users to execute arbitrary code through Graphviz rendering. dependencygraph.dot2img discards find_binary's validated path, while AlignedSent.repr_svg performs no validation, and both launch dot by bare name. Exploitation requires control of a searched location: the current working directory on Windows or a relative or writable PATH entry on Unix-like systems.

CVSS severity8.5
High
EPSS probability0.12%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Untrusted search path handling in NLTK before 3.10.3 allows local users to execute arbitrary code through Graphviz rendering. dependencygraph.dot2img discards find_binary's validated path, while AlignedSent.repr_svg performs no validation, and both launch dot by bare name. Exploitation requires control of a searched location: the current working directory on Windows or a relative or writable PATH entry on Unix-like systems.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-78680
Published
Aug 25, 2026
Updated
Aug 25, 2026
Vendor
NLTK Project
Product
NLTK
Classifications
CWE-426, CWE-427, T1574.007, T1574.008
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 25, 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=0 <3.10.3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

NLTK Project · NLTKversion=0 <3.10.3

Published CVSS scores

8.5NLTK ProjectCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
7.8VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-426Untrusted Search Path
CWE-427Uncontrolled Search Path Element
T1574.007Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable
T1574.008Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking

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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