Vulnerability-Lookup

GHSA-8MP2-V27R-99XP

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-05-06 16:52 – Updated: 2026-05-06 19:35

Summary

Mistune has a ReDoS in LINK_TITLE_RE that allows denial of service via crafted Markdown input

Details

Summary

A ReDoS (Regular Expression Denial of Service) vulnerability in LINK_TITLE_RE allows an attacker who can supply Markdown for parsing to cause denial of service. A crafted 58-byte Markdown document blocks the parser for approximately 6 seconds (measured on Apple M2, Python 3.14.3), with exponential growth per additional byte pair.

Details

The vulnerable regex is defined in src/mistune/helpers.py#L20-L25:

LINK_TITLE_RE = re.compile(
    r"[ \t\n]+("
    r'"(?:\\' + PUNCTUATION + r'|[^"\x00])*"|'  # "title"
    r"'(?:\\" + PUNCTUATION + r"|[^'\x00])*'"   # 'title'
    r")"
)

The double-quote branch compiles to "(?:\\[PUNCTUATION]|[^"\x00])*". The two alternatives inside (A|B)* overlap: a backslash followed by a punctuation character (e.g. \!) can be matched by either branch — as a 2-character escaped-punctuation sequence \\!, or as two individual [^"\x00] characters (\ then !). The same ambiguity exists in the single-quoted title branch.

When the input contains repeated \! pairs with no closing ", the regex engine exhaustively backtracks through all 2^N combinations, resulting in exponential O(2^N) time complexity.

This is reachable through normal Markdown parsing via two code paths: 1. Inline links: [text](url "PAYLOAD) → parse_link() → parse_link_title() 2. Block link reference definitions: [label]: url "PAYLOAD → BlockParser.parse_ref_link() → parse_link_title() at block_parser.py#L259

PoC

import mistune
import time

md = mistune.create_markdown()

# Test with increasing N (number of \! pairs)
for n in [15, 18, 20, 22, 25]:
    payload = '[x](y "' + '\\!' * n + ')'
    start = time.time()
    md(payload)
    elapsed = time.time() - start
    print(f"N={n:2d}  len={len(payload):3d} bytes  time={elapsed:.3f}s")

Output (Apple M2, Python 3.14.3, mistune 3.2.0):

N=15  len= 38 bytes  time=0.007s
N=18  len= 44 bytes  time=0.044s
N=20  len= 48 bytes  time=0.178s
N=22  len= 52 bytes  time=0.740s
N=25  len= 58 bytes  time=5.922s

Each increment of N roughly doubles the execution time (consistent with O(2^N)).

The same attack works via block link reference definitions:

payload = '[l]: u "' + '\\!' * 25  # 58 bytes, ~6 seconds
md(payload)

Impact

This is a denial of service vulnerability. Any application or service that parses user-supplied Markdown using mistune can be made unresponsive by an attacker submitting a small crafted input (under 100 bytes).

Affected use cases include: - Web applications with Markdown-enabled input fields (comments, posts, descriptions) - Documentation systems that accept user contributions - API endpoints that process Markdown - Jupyter tooling such as nbconvert that relies on mistune for rendering

Suggested Fix

Exclude the backslash character from the catch-all character class to eliminate the alternation overlap:

# Before (vulnerable):
r'"(?:\\' + PUNCTUATION + r'|[^"\x00])*"'
r"'(?:\\" + PUNCTUATION + r"|[^'\x00])*'"

# After (fixed):
r'"(?:\\' + PUNCTUATION + r'|[^"\\\x00])*"'
r"'(?:\\" + PUNCTUATION + r"|[^'\\\x00])*'"

This ensures a backslash can only be consumed by the escaped-punctuation branch, eliminating the ambiguity in both the double-quote and single-quote branches. Verified on mistune 3.2.0 (Apple M2, Python 3.14.3): - Reduces N=25 from 4.2 seconds to 0.000006 seconds (700,000x improvement) - Handles N=50 in 0.000008 seconds - Passes all existing functional tests (quoted titles, escaped quotes, escaped punctuation)

Severity ?

8.7 (High)


                  
                    CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Show details on source website

JSON

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{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 3.2.0"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "PyPI",
        "name": "mistune"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "3.0.0a1"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "3.2.1"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-33079"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-1333"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-06T16:52:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-05-06T18:16:03Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "### Summary\n\nA ReDoS (Regular Expression Denial of Service) vulnerability in `LINK_TITLE_RE` allows an attacker who can supply Markdown for parsing to cause denial of service. A crafted 58-byte Markdown document blocks the parser for approximately 6 seconds (measured on Apple M2, Python 3.14.3), with exponential growth per additional byte pair.\n\n### Details\n\nThe vulnerable regex is defined in [`src/mistune/helpers.py#L20-L25`](https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/helpers.py#L20-L25):\n\n```python\nLINK_TITLE_RE = re.compile(\n    r\"[ \\t\\n]+(\"\n    r\u0027\"(?:\\\\\u0027 + PUNCTUATION + r\u0027|[^\"\\x00])*\"|\u0027  # \"title\"\n    r\"\u0027(?:\\\\\" + PUNCTUATION + r\"|[^\u0027\\x00])*\u0027\"   # \u0027title\u0027\n    r\")\"\n)\n```\n\nThe double-quote branch compiles to `\"(?:\\\\[PUNCTUATION]|[^\"\\x00])*\"`. The two alternatives inside `(A|B)*` overlap: a backslash followed by a punctuation character (e.g. `\\!`) can be matched by **either** branch \u2014 as a 2-character escaped-punctuation sequence `\\\\!`, or as two individual `[^\"\\x00]` characters (`\\` then `!`). The same ambiguity exists in the single-quoted title branch.\n\nWhen the input contains repeated `\\!` pairs with no closing `\"`, the regex engine exhaustively backtracks through all 2^N combinations, resulting in **exponential O(2^N) time complexity**.\n\nThis is reachable through normal Markdown parsing via two code paths:\n1. **Inline links**: `[text](url \"PAYLOAD)` \u2192 [`parse_link()`](https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/helpers.py#L178) \u2192 [`parse_link_title()`](https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/helpers.py#L169)\n2. **Block link reference definitions**: `[label]: url \"PAYLOAD` \u2192 [`BlockParser.parse_ref_link()`](https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/block_parser.py#L220) \u2192 [`parse_link_title()`](https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/helpers.py#L169) at [block_parser.py#L259](https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/block_parser.py#L259)\n\n### PoC\n\n```python\nimport mistune\nimport time\n\nmd = mistune.create_markdown()\n\n# Test with increasing N (number of \\! pairs)\nfor n in [15, 18, 20, 22, 25]:\n    payload = \u0027[x](y \"\u0027 + \u0027\\\\!\u0027 * n + \u0027)\u0027\n    start = time.time()\n    md(payload)\n    elapsed = time.time() - start\n    print(f\"N={n:2d}  len={len(payload):3d} bytes  time={elapsed:.3f}s\")\n```\n\nOutput (Apple M2, Python 3.14.3, mistune 3.2.0):\n\n```\nN=15  len= 38 bytes  time=0.007s\nN=18  len= 44 bytes  time=0.044s\nN=20  len= 48 bytes  time=0.178s\nN=22  len= 52 bytes  time=0.740s\nN=25  len= 58 bytes  time=5.922s\n```\n\nEach increment of N roughly doubles the execution time (consistent with O(2^N)).\n\nThe same attack works via block link reference definitions:\n\n```python\npayload = \u0027[l]: u \"\u0027 + \u0027\\\\!\u0027 * 25  # 58 bytes, ~6 seconds\nmd(payload)\n```\n\n### Impact\n\nThis is a denial of service vulnerability. Any application or service that parses user-supplied Markdown using mistune can be made unresponsive by an attacker submitting a small crafted input (under 100 bytes).\n\nAffected use cases include:\n- Web applications with Markdown-enabled input fields (comments, posts, descriptions)\n- Documentation systems that accept user contributions\n- API endpoints that process Markdown\n- Jupyter tooling such as nbconvert that relies on mistune for rendering\n\n### Suggested Fix\n\nExclude the backslash character from the catch-all character class to eliminate the alternation overlap:\n\n```python\n# Before (vulnerable):\nr\u0027\"(?:\\\\\u0027 + PUNCTUATION + r\u0027|[^\"\\x00])*\"\u0027\nr\"\u0027(?:\\\\\" + PUNCTUATION + r\"|[^\u0027\\x00])*\u0027\"\n\n# After (fixed):\nr\u0027\"(?:\\\\\u0027 + PUNCTUATION + r\u0027|[^\"\\\\\\x00])*\"\u0027\nr\"\u0027(?:\\\\\" + PUNCTUATION + r\"|[^\u0027\\\\\\x00])*\u0027\"\n```\n\nThis ensures a backslash can only be consumed by the escaped-punctuation branch, eliminating the ambiguity in both the double-quote and single-quote branches. Verified on mistune 3.2.0 (Apple M2, Python 3.14.3):\n- Reduces N=25 from 4.2 seconds to 0.000006 seconds (700,000x improvement)\n- Handles N=50 in 0.000008 seconds\n- Passes all existing functional tests (quoted titles, escaped quotes, escaped punctuation)",
  "id": "GHSA-8mp2-v27r-99xp",
  "modified": "2026-05-06T19:35:51Z",
  "published": "2026-05-06T16:52:43Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune/security/advisories/GHSA-8mp2-v27r-99xp"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33079"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/helpers.py#L20-L25"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V4"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Mistune has a ReDoS in LINK_TITLE_RE that allows denial of service via crafted Markdown input"
}

CVE-2026-33079 (GCVE-0-2026-33079)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-05-06 17:25 – Updated: 2026-05-06 19:02

Title

Mistune ReDoS in LINK_TITLE_RE allows denial of service with crafted Markdown titles

Summary

In versions 3.0.0a1 through 3.2.0 of Mistune, there is a ReDoS (Regular Expression Denial of Service) vulnerability in `LINK_TITLE_RE` that allows an attacker who can supply Markdown for parsing to cause denial of service. The regular expression used for parsing link titles contains overlapping alternatives that can trigger catastrophic backtracking. In both the double-quoted and single-quoted branches, a backslash followed by punctuation can be matched either as an escaped punctuation sequence or as two ordinary characters, creating an ambiguous pattern inside a repeated group. If an attacker supplies Markdown containing repeated ! sequences with no closing quote, the regex engine explores an exponential number of backtracking paths. This is reachable through normal Markdown parsing of inline links and block link reference definitions. A small crafted input can therefore cause significant CPU consumption and make applications using Mistune unresponsive.

Severity ?

8.7 (High)


                        
                          CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CWE

CWE-1333 - Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity

Assigner

GitHub_M

References

URL

Tags

	https://github.com/lepture/mistune/security/advis…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
	https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60…	x_refsource_MISC

Impacted products

	Vendor	Product	Version
	lepture	mistune	Affected: >=3.0.0a1, <= 3.2.0

Show details on NVD website

JSON

To clipboard

{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "metrics": [
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "id": "CVE-2026-33079",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "Exploitation": "poc"
                  },
                  {
                    "Automatable": "yes"
                  },
                  {
                    "Technical Impact": "partial"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2026-05-06T19:02:37.046157Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
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        "providerMetadata": {
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        },
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            "url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune/security/advisories/GHSA-8mp2-v27r-99xp"
          }
        ],
        "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "mistune",
          "vendor": "lepture",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
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            }
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      ],
      "descriptions": [
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          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In versions 3.0.0a1 through 3.2.0 of Mistune, there is a ReDoS (Regular Expression Denial of Service) vulnerability in `LINK_TITLE_RE` that allows an attacker who can supply Markdown for parsing to cause denial of service. The regular expression used for parsing link titles contains overlapping alternatives that can trigger catastrophic backtracking. In both the double-quoted and single-quoted branches, a backslash followed by punctuation can be matched either as an escaped punctuation sequence or as two ordinary characters, creating an ambiguous pattern inside a repeated group. If an attacker supplies Markdown containing repeated ! sequences with no closing quote, the regex engine explores an exponential number of backtracking paths. This is reachable through normal Markdown parsing of inline links and block link reference definitions. A small crafted input can therefore cause significant CPU consumption and make applications using Mistune unresponsive."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
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            "baseScore": 8.7,
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            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "subAvailabilityImpact": "NONE",
            "subConfidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "subIntegrityImpact": "NONE",
            "userInteraction": "NONE",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
            "version": "4.0",
            "vulnAvailabilityImpact": "HIGH",
            "vulnConfidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "vulnIntegrityImpact": "NONE"
          }
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-1333",
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          "tags": [
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          "url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune/blob/df23edd60b43b639d2e6760ef9dd3d618aa11c21/src/mistune/helpers.py#L20-L25"
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      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-8mp2-v27r-99xp",
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      "title": "Mistune ReDoS in LINK_TITLE_RE allows denial of service with crafted Markdown titles"
    }
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  "cveMetadata": {
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    "dateReserved": "2026-03-17T19:27:06.345Z",
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  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
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}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.

Action not permitted

GHSA-8MP2-V27R-99XP

Summary

Details

PoC

Impact

Suggested Fix

CVE-2026-33079 (GCVE-0-2026-33079)

Tags

Sightings

Nomenclature