CVE-2026-4926: Path to regexp Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j3q9-mxjg-w52f
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-400 CWE-1333
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-4926 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Path to regexp libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves path-to-regexp vulnerable to denial of service via sequential optional groups. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 8.4.0.

CVE-2026-4926 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-4926
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j3q9-mxjg-w52f
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Path to regexp
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-2026-4926

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

path-to-regexp fixed: 8.4.0 
npm install path-to-regexp@8.4.0
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 path-to-regexp

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-4926, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls path-to-regexp

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Path to regexp in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 8.4.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls path-to-regexp 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Path to regexp, 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 A bad regular expression is generated any time you have multiple sequential optional groups (curly brace syntax), such as `{a}{b}{c}:z`. The generated regex grows exponentially with the number of groups, causing denial of service. ### Patches Fixed in version 8.4.0. ### Workarounds Limit the number of sequential optional groups in route patterns. Avoid passing user-controlled input as route patterns.

CVE-2026-4926 Affected Path to regexp Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
8.4.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
path-to-regexp
npm/path-to-regexp
npm
≥ 8.0.0
< 8.4.0
8.4.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp/security/advisories/GHSA-j3q9-mxjg-w52f
NVD — CVE-2026-4926 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-4926
Path to regexp Security Information SECURITY
https://cna.openjsf.org/security-advisories.html
Path to regexp Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-4926?
CVE-2026-4926 is a security vulnerability in Path to regexp involving path-to-regexp vulnerable to Denial of Service via sequential optional groups under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Path to regexp versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 8.4.0 across affected packages: path-to-regexp.
What version fixes CVE-2026-4926?
Upgrading to 8.4.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is path-to-regexp affected?
Yes, path-to-regexp is affected in releases prior to 8.4.0. Upgrade your dependency to 8.4.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-4926?
CVE-2026-4926 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-2026-4926?
CVE-2026-4926 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-4926?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls path-to-regexp'. 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-j3q9-mxjg-w52f",
  "modified" : "2026-03-27T22:23:27Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-27T22:23:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-4926" ],
  "summary" : "path-to-regexp vulnerable to Denial of Service via sequential optional groups",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nA bad regular expression is generated any time you have multiple sequential optional groups (curly brace syntax), such as `{a}{b}{c}:z`. The generated regex grows exponentially with the number of groups, causing denial of service.\n\n### Patches\n\nFixed in version 8.4.0.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nLimit the number of sequential optional groups in route patterns. Avoid passing user-controlled input as route patterns.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "path-to-regexp"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "8.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.4.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp/security/advisories/GHSA-j3q9-mxjg-w52f"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-4926"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cna.openjsf.org/security-advisories.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pillarjs/path-to-regexp"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1333", "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-27T22:23:27Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-26T19:17:08Z"
  }
}