CVE-2026-92599: joi Quadratic Regular-expression Backtracking Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6h2x-m376-mqjq
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-1333
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-92599 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) quadratic regular-expression backtracking vulnerability (CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity) affecting joi libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves quadratic regular-expression backtracking in `joi.string().isodate()`. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 18.2.6, 17.13.7.

CVE-2026-92599 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-92599
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6h2x-m376-mqjq
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
Affected Product joi
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-92599

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected joi dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

joi fixed: 18.2.6 
npm install joi@18.2.6
joi fixed: 17.13.7 
npm install joi@17.13.7
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls joi

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-92599, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls joi

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of joi in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 18.2.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls joi command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity, where the product uses a regular expression with a worst-case computational complexity that is inefficient and possibly exponential. In joi, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact Any application that validates a user-supplied string with `Joi.string().isoDate()` can be stalled by a single request. One of the regular expressions the rule runs over the input was unanchored, so a valid ISO date followed by a long run of fractional-second digits made the regex engine restart its search from every position in the string, costing time proportional to the square of the input length. 64 KB of digits costs about 1.4 s and 256 KB about 22 s. ### Patches Upgrade to version 17.13.7 or 18.2.6 depending on your current major version. ### Workarounds None except capping the length of the string before it reaches joi.

CVE-2026-92599 Affected joi Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
18.2.617.13.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
joi
npm/joi
npm
≥ 18.0.0
< 18.2.6
18.2.6
joi
npm/joi
npm
≥ 17.2.0
< 17.13.7
17.13.7

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/hapijs/joi/security/advisories/GHSA-6h2x-m376-mqjq
NVD — CVE-2026-92599 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-92599
joi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3143
joi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3145
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/115e7b58d5eaaecc5e9b7093d41899ad6fb053ec
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/e70df424c367f2976db63b089504413744a21245
joi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hapijs/joi
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/joi-befo... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/joi-before-17.13.7-and-18.2.6-redos-via-isodate

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-92599?
CVE-2026-92599 is a security vulnerability in joi involving Quadratic regular-expression backtracking in `Joi.string().isoDate()` under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity.
Which joi versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 18.2.6, 17.13.7 across affected packages: joi.
What version fixes CVE-2026-92599?
Upgrading to 18.2.6, 17.13.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is joi affected?
Yes, joi is affected in releases prior to 18.2.6, 17.13.7. Upgrade your dependency to 18.2.6, 17.13.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-92599?
CVE-2026-92599 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-92599?
CVE-2026-92599 is classified under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity (The product uses a regular expression with a worst-case computational complexity that is inefficient and possibly exponential.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-92599?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls joi'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6h2x-m376-mqjq",
  "modified" : "2026-10-05T23:31:10Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-29T18:07:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-92599" ],
  "summary" : "joi: Quadratic regular-expression backtracking in `Joi.string().isoDate()`",
  "details" : "### Impact\nAny application that validates a user-supplied string with `Joi.string().isoDate()` can be stalled by a single request. One of the regular expressions the rule runs over the input was unanchored, so a valid ISO date followed by a long run of fractional-second digits made the regex engine restart its search from every position in the string, costing time proportional to the square of the input length. 64 KB of digits costs about 1.4 s and 256 KB about 22 s.\n\n### Patches\nUpgrade to version 17.13.7 or 18.2.6 depending on your current major version.\n\n### Workarounds\nNone except capping the length of the string before it reaches joi.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "joi"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "17.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "17.13.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "joi"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "18.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "18.2.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hapijs/joi/security/advisories/GHSA-6h2x-m376-mqjq"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-92599"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3143"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3145"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/115e7b58d5eaaecc5e9b7093d41899ad6fb053ec"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/e70df424c367f2976db63b089504413744a21245"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hapijs/joi"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/joi-before-17.13.7-and-18.2.6-redos-via-isodate"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1333" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-29T18:07:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}