Vulnerability in Nltk

CVE-2026-81727

NLTK versions before 3.10.3 contain a filesystem containment bypass vulnerability in the Downloader.download and Downloader.incr_download methods that allows attackers to overwrite files outside the install root through pre-existing hardlinks. Attackers with write access to a shared downloader directory can create hardlinks pointing to outside-root files that are then overwritten during normal package extraction, mutating files outside the intended install tree.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-81727?
CVE-2026-81727 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nltk, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 7.1/10. Published 2026-08-27.
How severe is CVE-2026-81727?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.1 out of 10.