NLTK versions before 3.9.4 contain an unbounded recursion vulnerability in JSONTaggedDecoder.decode_obj() that allows attackers to cause denial of service by supplying deeply nested JSON structures. Attackers can craft JSON payloads exceeding the recursion limit to trigger an unhandled RecursionError that crashes the Python process.
The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.
NLTK versions before 3.9.4 contain an unbounded recursion vulnerability in JSONTaggedDecoder.decode_obj() that allows attackers to cause denial of service by supplying deeply nested JSON structures. Attackers can craft JSON payloads exceeding the recursion limit to trigger an unhandled RecursionError that crashes the Python process.
Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.
Confirm that nltk and an affected version are present.
Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.
Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.
Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.
