CVE-2026-81722EPSS p42.2%
CVE-2026-81722CVE-2026-81722
nltk / nltk
Description
nltk PorterStemmer in versions <= 3.10.2 (fixed in 3.10.3) contains an inefficient-algorithmic-complexity denial of service in PorterStemmer.stem(). The _is_consonant() helper walks backward over the entire run of trailing 'y' characters on every call, and _measure() invokes it for each stem position, causing O(n^2) behavior. A single ~20-50 KB untrusted token consisting of a long run of the letter 'y' followed by a matching suffix (e.g., 'ness') can pin a CPU core for seconds to minutes, causing availability impact.
Scoring
| CVSS | 7.5 () |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| EPSS | 0.52% probability of exploitation · percentile 42.2% · 2026-10-05T12:00:23Z |
| Last modified | 2026-08-31 |