high7.8
CVE-2026-78680
NLTK versions before 3.10.3 fail to use validated absolute paths when invoking the Graphviz dot binary in dependencygraph.dot2img and AlignedSent._repr_svg_, a…
Impact
NLTK versions before 3.10.3 fail to use validated absolute paths when invoking the Graphviz dot binary in dependencygraph.dot2img and AlignedSent._repr_svg_, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious dot binary in the search path or current working directory. Attackers can exploit bare-name binary resolution on Windows via the current working directory or on Unix-like systems via relative PATH entries to execute their binary instead of the legitimate Graphviz tool.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| pip | nltk | <= 3.10.2 | 3.10.3 |
Weakness classification
References
- NVD record
- CVE.org record
- GitHub advisory
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm
- https://github.com/nltk/nltk/security/advisories/GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78680
- https://github.com/nltk/nltk/commit/1a3cd1764ab3deb084fb66d0ffb4873717659538
- https://github.com/nltk/nltk/releases/tag/v3.10.3
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nltk-before-arbitrary-code-execution-via-graphviz-dot-binary