CVE-2026-83606
xmldom PI grammar regex ReDoS: quadratic backtracking on unterminated processing instructions
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- GitHub_M
Description
xmldom is a pure JavaScript W3C standard-based (XML DOM Level 2 Core) DOMParser and XMLSerializer module. From 0.9.0-beta.9 until 0.9.11, the processing-instruction production in lib/grammar.js lets the greedy S+ separator and lazy Char*? data group repeatedly repartition a long whitespace tail when the required closing ?> is absent. Both parsePI and parseProcessingInstruction apply the expression to the entire remaining source, causing quadratic backtracking during DOMParser.parseFromString() under default options and allowing a small unauthenticated XML input to stall the Node.js event loop. This issue is fixed in @xmldom/xmldom version 0.9.11.
Public exploit
A reference of the record is tagged as an exploit or proof of concept: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: a proof of concept is public.
- https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/security/advisories/GHSA-g53g-w8rj-fmg7 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMexploit
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 1 day later
· 1 day later
Published
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 4.0 | High8.7 | 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 |
| NVDNVD · Deferred | 4.0 | High8.7 | 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/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.52% · top 55% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: poc · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: partial
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 8.7.
Weakness
Affected products
Affected packages
From reviewed advisories of the GitHub Advisory Database.
- npm@xmldom/xmldomGHSA-g53g-w8rj-fmg7 (opens in a new tab)
References (4)
- https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/security/advisories/GHSA-g53g-w8rj-fmg7 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMexploit
- https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/pull/1039 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/commit/73df6b8bdbd86f904b9e8c3ab9c49aa54ef2802e (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/releases/tag/0.9.11 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-g53g-w8rj-fmg7 (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2026-83606)Record last updated .