Resource exhaustion in Gtermars Javascript::minifier::xs

CVE-2026-56018

JavaScript::Minifier::XS versions before 0.16 for Perl leak memory on every call to minify(), allowing unbounded memory growth. In JsMinify (XS.xs) the cleanup frees only the NodeSet structures and never the per-token contents buffers allocated in JsSetNodeContents; JsDiscardNode unlinks nodes without freeing their contents. Each token's contents buffer is therefore leaked on every call, and the two early returns taken when the node list is empty leak the whole NodeSet. A long-lived process that minifies repeatedly, such as an asset pipeline or a server-side minifier endpoint, grows in memory without bound until it exhausts available memory and is killed, causing denial of service.

Vulnerability class: DoS (Denial of Service)

EPSS: 0.005 (37.4th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

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.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-56018?
CVE-2026-56018 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gtermars Javascript::minifier::xs, classified under Uncontrolled Resource Consumption. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-06-29.
How severe is CVE-2026-56018?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.