Description
A Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability exists in nltk/nltk versions 3.9.4 and the current develop branch. The `nltk.pathsec.validate_network_url()` function, intended to prevent SSRF by rejecting internal network addresses, fails to reject IPs in the RFC 6598 shared address space (`100.64.0.0/10`). This occurs because Python's `ipaddress` module does not classify such addresses as `is_private` or `is_global`, and the current guard only checks `is_private` and a few explicit categories. An attacker who can influence a URL passed to NLTK's network-loading helpers can exploit this vulnerability to make a strict-mode application send requests to shared-address-space hosts, potentially exposing non-public infrastructure reachable from the application host. The impact is limited to SSRF-style confidentiality exposure, with no code execution claimed.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| nltk | nltk/nltk | unspecified – ≤ latest | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | nltk | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | nltk | No fix yet | — |
Show 7 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 26.04 LTS | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | nltk | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | python-nltk | 3.10.2-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11510-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | nltk | < 3.10.0 | 3.10.0 | GHSA-2jhm-w3mp-jcwr |
| PyPI | nltk | <= 3.9.4 | — | PYSEC-2026-3955 |
Advisories 1
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11510-1 python313-nltk-3.10.2-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Aug 14, 2026