Auth bypass in Nltk Nltk/nltk

CVE-2026-12199

A vulnerability in `nltk.app.wordnet_app` up to version 3.9.3 allows unauthenticated remote shutdown of the local WordNet Browser HTTP server when started in its default mode. The server listens on all interfaces and processes a specific unauthenticated GET request (`/SHUTDOWN%20THE%20SERVER`) to terminate the process immediately via `os._exit(0)`. This results in a denial of service, impacting service availability. The issue arises due to insufficient authentication and protection mechanisms for critical server functions.

Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.003 (23.1th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 23rd percentile — 23.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-12199: held from 0.003 to 0.003.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-12199?
CVE-2026-12199 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nltk Nltk/nltk, classified under Missing Authentication for Critical Function. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-06-17.
How severe is CVE-2026-12199?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.