GHSA-37ch-88jc-xwx2
path-to-regexp vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service via multiple route parameters
Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | path-to-regexp | < 0.1.13 | 0.1.13 |
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
### Impact
A bad regular expression is generated any time you have three or more parameters within a single segment, separated by something that is not a period (`.`). For example, `/:a-:b-:c` or `/:a-:b-:c-:d`. The backtrack protection added in `[email protected]` only prevents ambiguity for two parameters. With three or more, the generated lookahead does not block single separator characters, so capture groups overlap and cause catastrophic backtracking.
### Patches
Upgrade to [[email protected]](https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp/releases/tag/v.0.1.13)
Custom regex patterns in route definitions (e.g., `/:a-:b([^-/]+)-:c([^-/]+)`) are not affected because they override the default capture group.
### Workarounds
All versions can be patched by providing a custom regular expression for parameters after the first in a single segment. As long as the custom regular expression does not match the text before the parameter, you will be safe. For example, change `/:a-:b-:c` to `/:a-:b([^-/]+)-:c([^-/]+)`.
If paths cannot be rewritten and versions cannot be upgraded, another alternative is to limit the URL length.
### References
- [GHSA-9wv6-86v2-598j](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-9wv6-86v2-598j)
- [Detailed blog post: ReDoS the web](https://blakeembrey.com/posts/2024-09-web-redos/)
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.
- https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp/security/advisories/GHSA-37ch-88jc-xwx2
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-4867
- https://blakeembrey.com/posts/2024-09-web-redos
- https://cna.openjsf.org/security-advisories.html
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-9wv6-86v2-598j
- https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp
- https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp/releases/tag/v.0.1.13