Application slowdown via newline-rule trailing-space regex
Published Jan 10, 2022 · Updated Apr 22, 2025
Inefficient regular expression processing in markdown-it before 12.3.2 allows remote attackers to slow applications via crafted Markdown. The inline newline rule applies a trailing-space regular expression to an accumulated pending string; long runs of spaces force excessive repeated scanning before a hard break. Exposure requires a consuming application to parse attacker-controlled Markdown containing the pathological pattern, and the bounded consequence is excessive CPU use and service slowdown rather than data access or modification.
Summary
What happened
Inefficient regular expression processing in markdown-it before 12.3.2 allows remote attackers to slow applications via crafted Markdown. The inline newline rule applies a trailing-space regular expression to an accumulated pending string; long runs of spaces force excessive repeated scanning before a hard break. Exposure requires a consuming application to parse attacker-controlled Markdown containing the pathological pattern, and the bounded consequence is excessive CPU use and service slowdown rather than data access or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-21670
- Published
- Jan 10, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 22, 2025
- Vendor
- markdown-it
- Product
- markdown-it
- Classifications
- CWE-400, CWE-1333, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 10, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 22, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 12.3.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Upstream hard-break whitespace ReDoS sampleproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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