CVE-2026-81722
CVE-2026-81722 updated by NVD
Summary
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.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected versions | Fixed versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | nltk | — | 3.10.3 |
Remediation: Upgrade to 3.10.3 or later.
References
Includes data from the GitHub Advisory Database, licensed under CC-BY 4.0.
Includes data from the National Vulnerability Database (NIST). NVD data is in the public domain; this page is not endorsed by NIST.
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EPSS scores provided by the FIRST.org Exploit Prediction Scoring System.