GHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm
HIGHGHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm is a high-severity (CVSS 8.6) Path Traversal vulnerability in nltk. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
NLTK has a Path Traversal issue
Blast Radius
nltkReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A vulnerability in NLTK versions up to and including 3.9.2 allows arbitrary file read via path traversal in multiple CorpusReader classes, including WordListCorpusReader, TaggedCorpusReader, and BracketParseCorpusReader. These classes fail to properly sanitize or validate file paths, enabling attackers to traverse directories and access sensitive files on the server. This issue is particularly critical in scenarios where user-controlled file inputs are processed, such as in machine learning APIs, chatbots, or NLP pipelines. Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive files, including system files, SSH private keys, and API tokens, and may potentially escalate to remote code execution when combined with other vulnerabilities.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | nltk | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for nltk. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Remediation status
No patched version of nltk has shipped for GHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-68j8-pq59-fqgm across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.