Medium [CVE-2026-70626] Information disclosure via symlink escape in CorpusReader.open
This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-70626.
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Summary
NLTK versions before 3.9.4 contain a symlink escape vulnerability in CorpusReader.open() that allows local attackers to read arbitrary files outside the corpus root.
The vulnerability exists because path validation is lexical and does not account for symlink resolution, enabling attackers to place symlinks inside the corpus root to access files outside the intended boundary. A flaw was found in NLTK.
By placing symbolic links (symlinks) within the corpus root, an attacker can bypass path validation in the `CorpusReader.open()` function, which does not properly account for symlink resolution. This could lead to unauthorized information disclosure.
The vulnerability arises from improper path validation in CorpusReader.open() when handling symlinks, enabling an attacker with local access to bypass security restrictions and access sensitive data. This affects components within Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Red Hat OpenShift AI that utilize the vulnerable NLTK library.
Red Hat severity: Moderate — CVSS 6.2 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N). Weakness: CWE-22.
Red Hat lists Exploit Intelligence; Lightspeed Core; OpenShift Lightspeed; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2; Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) as not affected.
- < 3.9.4
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 1 hour ago·verify at source
Fixed versions
No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists — confirm against the vendor advisory.
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 1 hour ago·verify at source
Mitigation checklist
- Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 1 hour ago·verify at source
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