joi: quadratic-time split in `string().email({ multiple: true })` allows denial of service

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-118772
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerGitHub_M
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-10-29 19:17:19 UTC
Updated2026-10-30 19:37:07 UTC
Descriptionjoi is a schema description language and data validator for JavaScript. From 17.1.1 until 17.13.9 and 18.3.1, the Joi.string().email({ multiple: true }) rule uses a separator regular expression whose leading whitespace quantifier is retried at every position in a long whitespace run that contains no separator, causing quadratic work during String.prototype.split. The behavior applies to the default separator and every custom separator. Applications that validate attacker-controlled values with the multiple option and no effective prior length limit can have the Node.js event loop blocked for seconds by one request, preventing other work. A .max() rule is not sufficient when abortEarly: false allows the email rule to run after the maximum-length check fails. This vulnerability is fixed in versions 17.13.9 and 18.3.1.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.5 HIGH from [email protected]

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS: 0.004670000 probability, percentile 0.404640000 (date 2026-10-30)

Problem Types: CWE-1333 | CWE-1333 CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1[email protected]Secondary7.5HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
3.1CNADECLARED7.5HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Hapijs Joi affected >= 16.0.0, <= 17.1.1 Not specified
CNA Hapijs Joi affected >= 18.0.0, < 18.3.1 Not specified
CNA @hapi Joi affected >= 16.0.0, <= 17.1.1 Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/03dc1d909818503b06240dadc81e9227ed2649cf [email protected] github.com
github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/807858d7480f5075b0610817e3e44230890fb18e [email protected] github.com
github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3162 [email protected] github.com
github.com/hapijs/joi/releases/tag/v18.3.1 [email protected] github.com
github.com/hapijs/joi/security/advisories/GHSA-4528-x5fx-h6hg [email protected] github.com
github.com/hapijs/joi/releases/tag/v17.13.9 [email protected] github.com
github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3163 [email protected] github.com
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