CVE-2026-81722
nltk PorterStemmer before 3.10.3 Quadratic-time DoS
CVSS Score
7.5
EPSS Score
0.0%
EPSS Percentile
0th
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.
| CWE | CWE-407 |
| Vendor | nltk |
| Product | nltk |
| Published | Aug 27, 2026 |
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CVSS v3 Breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Affected Versions
nltk / nltk
0 < 3.10.3