CVE-2026-33671: Picomatch has a ReDoS vulnerability via extglob quantifiers
### Impact `picomatch` is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) when processing crafted extglob patterns. Certain patterns using extglob quantifiers such as `+()` and `*()`, especially when combined with overlapping alternatives or nested extglobs, are compiled into regular expressions that can exhibit catastrophic backtracking on non-matching input. Examples of problematic patterns include `+(a|aa)`, `+(*|?)`, `+(+(a))`, `*(+(a))`, and `+(+(+(a)))`. In local reproduction, these patterns caused multi-second event-loop blocking with relatively short inputs. For example, `+(a|aa)` compiled to `^(?:(?=.)(?:a|aa)+)$` and took about 2 seconds to reject a 41-character non-matching input, while nested patterns such as `+(+(a))` and `*(+(a))` took around 29 seconds to reject a 33-character input on a modern M1 MacBook. Applications are impacted when they allow untrusted users to supply glob patterns that are passed to `picomatch` for compilation or matching. In those cases, an attacker can cause excessive CPU consumption and block the Node.js event loop, resulting in a denial of service. Applications that only use trusted, developer-controlled glob patterns are much less likely to be exposed in a security-relevant way. ### Patches This issue is fixed in picomatch 4.0.4, 3.0.2 and 2.3.2. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later, depending on their supported release line. ### Workarounds If upgrading is not immediately possible, avoid passing untrusted glob patterns to `picomatch`. Possible mitigations include: - disable extglob support for untrusted patterns by using `noextglob: true` - reject or sanitize patterns containing nested extglobs or extglob quantifiers such as `+()` and `*()` - enforce strict allowlists for accepted pattern syntax - run matching in an isolated worker or separate process with time and resource limits - apply application-level request throttling and input validation for any endpoint that accepts glob patterns ### Resources - Picomatch repository: https://github.com/micromatch/picomatch - `lib/parse.js` and `lib/constants.js` are involved in generating the vulnerable regex forms - Comparable ReDoS precedent: CVE-2024-4067 (`micromatch`) - Comparable generated-regex precedent: CVE-2024-45296 (`path-to-regexp`)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-33671?
CVE-2026-33671 has a moderate severity level due to its potential for causing Denial of Service through regular expression exploitation.
How do I fix CVE-2026-33671?
To mitigate CVE-2026-33671, upgrade to picomatch version 2.3.2 or 3.0.2 or 4.0.4 as soon as possible.
What is the impact of CVE-2026-33671?
The impact of CVE-2026-33671 is that it allows attackers to exploit crafted extglob patterns, resulting in Regular Expression Denial of Service.
Which versions of picomatch are affected by CVE-2026-33671?
Versions of picomatch prior to 2.3.2, 3.0.0 to 3.0.2, and 4.0.0 to 4.0.4 are affected by CVE-2026-33671.
What should I do if I cannot upgrade to a safe version for CVE-2026-33671?
If upgrading is not an option, consider applying input validation or using alternative libraries to avoid vulnerable patterns.