CVE-2026-0848CWE-20

Arbitrary Code Execution in NLTK StanfordSegmenter via Untrusted JAR Loading

Critical · published March 5, 2026

CVSS v3.0
10.0
EPSS
1%
Percentile
55.7
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

NLTK versions <=3.9.2 are vulnerable to arbitrary code execution due to improper input validation in the StanfordSegmenter module. The module dynamically loads external Java .jar files without verification or sandboxing. An attacker can supply or replace the JAR file, enabling the execution of arbitrary Java bytecode at import time. This vulnerability can be exploited through methods such as model poisoning, MITM attacks, or dependency poisoning, leading to remote code execution. The issue arises from the direct execution of the JAR file via subprocess with unvalidated classpath input, allowing malicious classes to execute when loaded by the JVM.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.0
10.0 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00786 · 55.7th percentile
Weakness
CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation
Published
2026-03-05T20:48Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 05 MAR 20:48Z
    Arbitrary Code Execution in NLTK StanfordSegmenter via Untrusted JAR Loading
    cvelistv5