Description
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 products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| nltk | nltk | < 3.10.3 | 3.10.3 |
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 | 3.10.3-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | nltk | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | nltk | No fix yet | — |
Wolfi
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfi rolling | open-webui | 0.11.3-r1 | — |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | nltk | < 3.10.3 | 3.10.3 | GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm |
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-6hwm-xvph-95vm) vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: NLTK before 3.10.3 Arbitrary Code Execution via Graphviz dot Binary third-party-advisory