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CVE-2026-81722

CVE-2026-81722 · nltk PorterStemmer before 3.10.3 Quadratic-time DoS

This page contains facts from public vulnerability sources. Check the original advisory before updating.

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.

CVSS 8.7 · High · EPSS 0.5% · Fix available

Published
Updated

Stack: system · python

Affected products and versions

  • nltk

    Versions
    • ≥ 0, < 3.10.3: Affected (semver)
    • 3.10.3: Not affected (semver)

    Update to 3.10.3

  • nltk Debian:12

    Versions
    • 3.10.0-1
    • 3.10.1-1
    • 3.10.3-1
    • 3.8-1
    • 3.8.1-1
    • 3.9.1-1
    • 3.9.1-2
    • 3.9.2-1
    • 3.9.3-1
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Debian:13

    Versions
    • 3.10.0-1
    • 3.10.1-1
    • 3.10.3-1
    • 3.9.1-2
    • 3.9.2-1
    • 3.9.3-1
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Debian:14

    Versions
    • 3.10.0-1
    • 3.10.1-1
    • 3.9.1-2
    • 3.9.2-1
    • 3.9.3-1
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: < 3.10.3-1

    Update to 3.10.3-1

  • nltk PyPI

    Versions
    • 0.8
    • 0.9
    • 0.9.3
    • 0.9.4
    • 0.9.5
    • 0.9.6
    • 0.9.7
    • 0.9.8
    • 0.9.9
    • 2.0.1
    • 2.0.1rc1
    • 2.0.1rc2-git
    • 2.0.1rc3
    • 2.0.1rc4
    • 2.0.2
    • 2.0.3
    • 2.0.4
    • 2.0.5
    • 2.0b4
    • 2.0b5
    • 2.0b6
    • 2.0b7
    • 2.0b8
    • 2.0b9
    • 3.0.0
    • 3.0.0b1
    • 3.0.0b2
    • 3.0.1
    • 3.0.2
    • 3.0.3
    • 3.0.4
    • 3.0.5
    • 3.1
    • 3.10.0
    • 3.10.1
    • 3.10.2
    • 3.2
    • 3.2.1
    • 3.2.2
    • 3.2.3
    • 3.2.4
    • 3.2.5
    • 3.3
    • 3.4
    • 3.4.1
    • 3.4.2
    • 3.4.3
    • 3.4.4
    • 3.4.5
    • 3.5
    • 3.5b1
    • 3.6
    • 3.6.1
    • 3.6.2
    • 3.6.3
    • 3.6.4
    • 3.6.5
    • 3.6.6
    • 3.6.7
    • 3.7
    • 3.8
    • 3.8.1
    • 3.9
    • 3.9.1
    • 3.9.2
    • 3.9.3
    • 3.9.4
    • 3.9b1
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: < 3.10.3

    Update to 3.10.3

  • nltk Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS

    Versions
    • 2.0~b9-0ubuntu4
    • 2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm2
    • 2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm4
    • 2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm5
    • 2.0~b9-0ubuntu4.1~esm6
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS

    Versions
    • 3.0.4-1
    • 3.0.5-1
    • 3.1-1
    • 3.1-1ubuntu0.1
    • 3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm1
    • 3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm2
    • 3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm3
    • 3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm4
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS

    Versions
    • 3.2.4-1
    • 3.2.5-1
    • 3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1
    • 3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm1
    • 3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm2
    • 3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm3
    • 3.2.5-1ubuntu0.1+esm4
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS

    Versions
    • 3.4.5-1
    • 3.4.5-2
    • 3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm1
    • 3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm2
    • 3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm3
    • 3.4.5-2ubuntu0.1~esm4
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Ubuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS

    Versions
    • 3.5-1
    • 3.6.5-1
    • 3.6.7-1
    • 3.7-1
    • 3.7-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
    • 3.7-1ubuntu0.1~esm2
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Ubuntu:Pro:24.04:LTS

    Versions
    • 3.8.1-1
    • 3.8.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
    • 3.8.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm2
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

  • nltk Ubuntu:Pro:26.04:LTS

    Versions
    • 3.9.1-2
    • 3.9.1-2build1
    • 3.9.2-1
    • 3.9.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
    • 3.9.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm2
    Affected ranges
    • ECOSYSTEM: (−∞, +∞)

    No fix published

Original sources

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