CVE-2023-26115: Word wrap Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j8xg-fqg3-53r7
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-1333
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-26115 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity) affecting Word wrap libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves word-wrap vulnerable to regular expression denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.2.4.

CVE-2023-26115 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-26115
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j8xg-fqg3-53r7
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
Affected Product Word wrap
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:L).

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 Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2023-26115

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

word-wrap fixed: 1.2.4 
npm install word-wrap@1.2.4
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 word-wrap

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-26115, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls word-wrap

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Word wrap in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.2.4), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls word-wrap 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 Word wrap, 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

All versions of the package word-wrap are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) due to the usage of an insecure regular expression within the result variable.

CVE-2023-26115 Affected Word wrap Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.2.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
word-wrap
npm/word-wrap
npm
< 1.2.4
1.2.4

References

NVD — CVE-2023-26115 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26115
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/commit/420dce9a2412b21881202b73a3c34f0edc53cb2e
Word wrap Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap
Word wrap Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/blob/master/index.js#L39
Word wrap Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/blob/master/index.js%23L39
Word wrap Release RELEASE
https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/releases/tag/1.2.4
Word wrap Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0006
Word wrap Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-4058657
Word wrap Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-WORDWRAP-3149973

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-26115?
CVE-2023-26115 is a security vulnerability in Word wrap involving word-wrap vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity.
Which Word wrap versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.2.4 across affected packages: word-wrap.
What version fixes CVE-2023-26115?
Upgrading to 1.2.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is word-wrap affected?
Yes, word-wrap is affected in releases prior to 1.2.4. Upgrade your dependency to 1.2.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-26115?
CVE-2023-26115 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-26115?
CVE-2023-26115 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-2023-26115?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls word-wrap'. 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-j8xg-fqg3-53r7",
  "modified" : "2025-02-13T19:00:43Z",
  "published" : "2023-06-22T06:30:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-26115" ],
  "summary" : "word-wrap vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service",
  "details" : "All versions of the package word-wrap are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) due to the usage of an insecure regular expression within the result variable.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "word-wrap"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.2.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26115"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/commit/420dce9a2412b21881202b73a3c34f0edc53cb2e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/blob/master/index.js#L39"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/blob/master/index.js%23L39"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jonschlinkert/word-wrap/releases/tag/1.2.4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0006"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-4058657"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-WORDWRAP-3149973"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1333" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-06-23T21:36:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-06-22T05:15:09Z"
  }
}