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NLTK EUVDEUVD-2026-65229

| CVE-2026-78683 CRITICAL
Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502)
2026-08-25 VulnCheck GHSA-gx65-c5hj-vpv5 GHSA-rhp5-r9x4-f5g2 PYSEC-2026-3734
9.4
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Craft malicious pickle model file
  2. Delivery
    Deliver via model repo or upload
  3. Exploit
    Victim app calls TransitionParser.parse()
  4. Execution
    WarningUnpickler resolves gadget classes
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary Python as loading user

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Safe deserialization, type allowlists
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Requires that the victim application load an attacker-crafted TransitionParser model file through the TransitionParser.parse() code path - the CVSS UI:P element reflects that exploitation is not fully autonomous and hinges on a model-loading action. The concrete prerequisite is deserialization of an untrusted model via the default restricted=False path (WarningUnpickler); environments that load only first-party, integrity-checked models are not realistically exploitable. Limiting factors: the attacker must get their malicious model into a location the target trusts and loads, and no service is remotely exploitable without this model-ingestion step. No attacker authentication is needed to craft the model (PR:N), but delivery into the victim's model-loading workflow is the gating condition.

Impact

The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P, base 9.4) rates this critical, and the impact is genuine full code execution (VC/VI/VA:H). The vector's key limiter is UI:P - exploitation is not autonomous; a user or application must load an attacker-controlled model file. This is a trusted-deserialization bug rather than a remotely-sprayable service vulnerability, so real-world risk depends on whether an environment loads NLTK models from untrusted or attacker-influenceable sources (downloaded models, shared registries, user uploads). No EPSS score, no CISA KEV entry, and no public POC are present in the provided data, which argues against widespread opportunistic exploitation; risk is concentrated in ML/data pipelines that ingest third-party model artifacts. Note the input 4.0 vector sets subsequent-system impact SC/SI/SA:H, but same-user pickle RCE has no inherent cross-system scope change - that subsequent-system rating likely overstates scope and should be verified with the vendor advisory.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker publishes or substitutes a malicious NLTK transition-parser model file - for example in a public model repository, a shared internal artifact store, or as a user-uploaded 'trained model'. A data pipeline or application calls TransitionParser.parse() and loads the file, causing the embedded pickle gadget chain to execute arbitrary Python code as the pipeline's service account. No public POC is identified, but pickle deserialization exploits are well understood and straightforward to construct.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity + public POC available.
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 25, 2026

Arbitrary code execution in NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) through 3.9.4 allows attackers to run Python code when a victim application loads a malicious transition-parser model file. The TransitionParser.parse() method deserializes model data via pickle with restricted=False, so an attacker-supplied model embedding pickle gadget chains executes with the privileges of the loading process. No CISA KEV listing or public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, though this class of pickle-RCE bug is trivially weaponizable once a malicious model is delivered.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade to NLTK 3.10.0 or later, which fixes the unsafe deserialization path (advisory GHSA-rhp5-r9x4-f5g2). Until upgrade is possible, load TransitionParser model files only from trusted, integrity-verified sources and never deserialize models received from users, downloads, or shared registries without provenance, since pickle-based models are executable payloads. As compensating controls, isolate any code that loads NLTK models in a sandboxed, least-privilege process (dedicated low-privilege service account, container without outbound network, seccomp/AppArmor confinement) so RCE is contained, and validate model files against known-good hashes before loading. These controls add operational overhead and do not remove the underlying pickle risk, so upgrading to 3.10.0 remains the durable fix. See the VulnCheck advisory for details.

Affected VersionsENISA

nltk 0 <3.10.0

Affected Packages

pypi nltk fix: 3.10.0

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in pypi

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

NLTK is a foundational Python library for natural language processing, widely used in research, data pipelines, and ML applications (CPE cpe:2.3:a:nltk:nltk). The flaw is a CWE-502 Deserialization of Untrusted Data. NLTK's TransitionParser (nltk/parse/transitionparser.py) persists and reloads trained dependency-parsing models using Python's pickle module. The parse() code path calls the internal pickle_load() helper with its default restricted=False, which routes deserialization through WarningUnpickler. WarningUnpickler does not override find_class(), so it permits arbitrary class resolution - the exact mechanism pickle exploits abuse to invoke callables such as os.system or subprocess during object reconstruction. NLTK ships a RestrictedUnpickler that would block this, but the production parse path never invokes it, leaving the unsafe route as the default.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 9.4 CRITICAL
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Malicious model may be delivered over the network (AV:N) but a user/app must load it (UI:R); pickle RCE runs as the loading user with no privilege boundary crossed, so S:U and full C/I/A:H.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Red Hat 9.6 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Passive
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
High
Subsequent system: Integrity
High
Subsequent system: Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Aug 25, 2026 - 03:16 EUVD
CVE Published
Aug 25, 2026 - 01:30 cve.org
CRITICAL 9.4

DescriptionCVE.org

NLTK before 3.10.0 (affected versions <=3.9.4) contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability in the TransitionParser.parse() method (nltk/parse/transitionparser.py). The method calls pickle_load() with the default restricted=False, routing deserialization through WarningUnpickler, which does not override find_class() and therefore permits arbitrary class resolution. When an application loads an attacker-crafted model file, embedded pickle gadget chains execute arbitrary Python code with the privileges of the user running the application. NLTK provides a RestrictedUnpickler for safe deserialization, but it is not used by production code paths. Fixed in 3.10.0.

Blast Radius

ecosystem impact
† from your stack dependencies † transitive graph · vuln.today resolves 4-path depth
  • 6 pypi packages depend on nltk (6 direct, 0 indirect)

Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 3.10.0.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) 3.9.4 contains a critical arbitrary code execution vulnerability triggered when applications deserialize malicious model files, enabling attackers to execute code with the privileges of the loading process. Organizations using NLTK for natural language processing face direct risk of system compromise and data breach, particularly where model files originate from untrusted sources. This vulnerability remains unpatched, creating an active exposure window for any application that processes external or user-supplied NLTK models.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict model file sources to internally-verified assets only with mandatory integrity verification; disable remote model loading and auto-update mechanisms; deploy NLTK in restricted containers with minimal privileges and network isolation; implement strict input validation on model file format and size before deserialization; establish alerts for NLTK security advisories to enable immediate patching upon release.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 81% exploitable
Prevalence
High
extremely popular Python NLP library, millions of installs across research and ML pipelines
Threat Intel
1
1 source
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Social Media
5
Sightings
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity + public POC available
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Very High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

67
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +47
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Insecure deserialization occurs when an application converts serialized data (a stream of bytes representing an object's state) back into a living object without proper validation.

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Vendor StatusVendor

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