CVE-2026-12259

In nltk version 3.9.4, the `nltk.downloader.Downloader._download_package()` function writes downloaded package bytes to disk and may extract them before enforcing SHA-256 or MD5 checksum validation. This allows an attacker to tamper with the package response body for `info.url` through a compromised mirror, malicious proxy, or other source-substitution condition, leading to the installation of attacker-controlled package bytes. The vulnerability can result in malicious corpus or model content being trusted by downstream users or applications.

Scoring

Severity
MEDIUM
CVSS base score
5.3
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
EPSS probability
0.10%
CWE
CWE-494
Published
2026-08-03
Last modified
2026-08-03

Affected products

Weakness type

Related vulnerabilities

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