Unauthenticated service interruption via repeated emphasis scans
Published Jul 8, 2026 · Updated Jul 8, 2026
Algorithmic-complexity DoS in Mistune before 3.3.0 allows remote attackers to interrupt services through crafted Markdown emphasis. In inline_parser.py, the emphasis dispatcher runs an end-marker regular-expression scan from every potential opening run, causing quadratic CPU work on repeated double- or triple-asterisk pairs. The application must parse attacker-supplied Markdown; the default create_markdown configuration is affected without plugins, and repeated requests can exhaust worker capacity.
Summary
What happened
Algorithmic-complexity DoS in Mistune before 3.3.0 allows remote attackers to interrupt services through crafted Markdown emphasis. In inline_parser.py, the emphasis dispatcher runs an end-marker regular-expression scan from every potential opening run, causing quadratic CPU work on repeated double- or triple-asterisk pairs. The application must parse attacker-supplied Markdown; the default create_markdown configuration is affected without plugins, and repeated requests can exhaust worker capacity.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-59925
- Published
- Jul 8, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 8, 2026
- Vendor
- Lepture
- Product
- Mistune
- Classifications
- CWE-1333, CWE-407, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 8, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 3.3.0
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
- Default-configuration emphasis parsing reproduction scriptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo