CVE-2026-0848
Publication date 6 March 2026
Last updated 6 March 2026
Ubuntu priority
Description
NLTK versions <=3.9.2 are vulnerable to arbitrary code execution due to improper input validation in the StanfordSegmenter module. The module dynamically loads external Java .jar files without verification or sandboxing. An attacker can supply or replace the JAR file, enabling the execution of arbitrary Java bytecode at import time. This vulnerability can be exploited through methods such as model poisoning, MITM attacks, or dependency poisoning, leading to remote code execution. The issue arises from the direct execution of the JAR file via subprocess with unvalidated classpath input, allowing malicious classes to execute when loaded by the JVM.
Status
| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
|---|---|---|
| nltk | 25.10 questing |
Needs evaluation
|
| 24.04 LTS noble |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 22.04 LTS jammy |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 20.04 LTS focal |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 18.04 LTS bionic |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 16.04 LTS xenial |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 14.04 LTS trusty |
Needs evaluation
|
Severity score breakdown
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base score |
10.0 · Critical
|
| Attack vector | Network |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Changed |
| Confidentiality | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Vector | CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |