NLTK Vulnerable To Path Traversal
NLTK Downloader before 3.4.5 is vulnerable to a directory traversal, allowing attackers to write arbitrary files via a ../ (dot dot slash) in an NLTK package (ZIP archive) that is mishandled during extraction.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | nltk | < 3.4.5 | 3.4.5 |
References
- https://github.com/nltk/nltk/commit/f59d7ed8df2e0e957f7f247fe218032abdbe9a10
- https://salvatoresecurity.com/zip-slip-in-nltk-cve-2019-14751/
- https://github.com/nltk/nltk/blob/3.4.5/ChangeLog
- https://github.com/mssalvatore/CVE-2019-14751_PoC
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZGZSSEJH7RHH3RBUEVWWYT75QU67J7SE/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QI4IJGLZQ5S7C5LNRNROHAO2P526XE3D/
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-03/msg00054.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00001.html
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mr7p-25v2-35wr
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-14751
- https://github.com/nltk/nltk
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/nltk/PYSEC-2019-106.yaml
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QI4IJGLZQ5S7C5LNRNROHAO2P526XE3D
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZGZSSEJH7RHH3RBUEVWWYT75QU67J7SE
- https://salvatoresecurity.com/zip-slip-in-nltk-cve-2019-14751
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-22- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
nltk- Disclosed
- 22.08.2019
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 11:20
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2019-106 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-mr7p-25v2-35wr - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: nltk
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 52
- First → latest
- 08.2019 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 6
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 5
- High 32
- Medium 13
- Low 2
Disclosures per year
- 2019: 1
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 2
- 2022: 1
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 1
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 47
-
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