Vulnerability in Isaacs Minimatch
CVE-2026-27904
minimatch is a minimal matching utility for converting glob expressions into JavaScript RegExp objects. Prior to version 10.2.3, 9.0.7, 8.0.6, 7.4.8, 6.2.2, 5.1.8, 4.2.5, and 3.1.4, nested `*()` extglobs produce regexps with nested unbounded quantifiers (e.g. `(?:(?:a|b)*)*`), which exhibit catastrophic backtracking in V8. With a 12-byte pattern `*(*(*(a|b)))` and an 18-byte non-matching input, `minimatch()` stalls for over 7 seconds. Adding a single nesting level or a few input characters pushes this to minutes. This is the most severe finding: it is triggered by the default `minimatch()` API with no special options, and the minimum viable pattern is only 12 bytes. The same issue affects `+()` extglobs equally. Versions 10.2.3, 9.0.7, 8.0.6, 7.4.8, 6.2.2, 5.1.8, 4.2.5, and 3.1.4 fix the issue.
Vulnerability class: ReDoS (Regular Expression Denial of Service)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (40.7th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 41st percentile — 40.7% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- Isaacs Minimatch — versions >= 10.0.0, < 10.2.3, >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.7, >= 8.0.0, < 8.0.6
- Minimatch Project
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/isaacs/minimatch/security/advisories/GHSA-23c5-xmqv-rm74 (Exploit, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-27904?
- CVE-2026-27904 is a high-severity vulnerability in Isaacs Minimatch, classified under Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-02-26.
- How severe is CVE-2026-27904?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.