CVE-2016-2537: Is my json valid Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f522-ffg8-j8r6
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-1333
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-2537 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity) affecting Is my json valid libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves regular expression denial of service in is-my-json-valid. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.12.4.

CVE-2016-2537 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-2537
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f522-ffg8-j8r6
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
Affected Product Is my json valid
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:3.0/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-2016-2537

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

is-my-json-valid fixed: 2.12.4 
npm install is-my-json-valid@2.12.4
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 is-my-json-valid

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-2537, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls is-my-json-valid

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Is my json valid in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.12.4), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls is-my-json-valid 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 Is my json valid, 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

Version of `is-my-json-valid` before 2.12.4 are vulnerable to regular expression denial of service (ReDoS) via the email validation function. ## Recommendation Update to version 2.12.4 or later.

CVE-2016-2537 Affected Is my json valid Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.12.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
is-my-json-valid
npm/is-my-json-valid
npm
< 2.12.4
2.12.4

References

NVD — CVE-2016-2537 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-2537
Is my json valid Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/github/advisory-database/pull/4850
Is my json valid Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid/pull/159
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid/commit/b3051b277f7caa08cd2edc6f74f50aeda65d2976
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid/commit/eca4beb21e61877d76fdf6bea771f72f39544d9b
hackerone.com/reports/317548 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/317548
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-f522-ffg8-j8r6
Is my json valid Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid
www.npmjs.com/advisories/572 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/572
www.npmjs.com/advisories/76 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/76

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-2537?
CVE-2016-2537 is a security vulnerability in Is my json valid involving Regular Expression Denial of Service in is-my-json-valid under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity.
Which Is my json valid versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.12.4 across affected packages: is-my-json-valid.
What version fixes CVE-2016-2537?
Upgrading to 2.12.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is is-my-json-valid affected?
Yes, is-my-json-valid is affected in releases prior to 2.12.4. Upgrade your dependency to 2.12.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-2537?
CVE-2016-2537 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-2537?
CVE-2016-2537 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-2016-2537?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls is-my-json-valid'. 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-f522-ffg8-j8r6",
  "modified" : "2025-10-17T17:50:27Z",
  "published" : "2017-10-24T18:33:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-2537" ],
  "summary" : "Regular Expression Denial of Service in is-my-json-valid",
  "details" : "Version of `is-my-json-valid` before 2.12.4 are vulnerable to regular expression denial of service (ReDoS) via the email validation function.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 2.12.4 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "is-my-json-valid"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.12.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-2537"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/pull/4850"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid/pull/159"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid/commit/b3051b277f7caa08cd2edc6f74f50aeda65d2976"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid/commit/eca4beb21e61877d76fdf6bea771f72f39544d9b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/317548"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-f522-ffg8-j8r6"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mafintosh/is-my-json-valid"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/572"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/76"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1333" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:33:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-02-23T05:59:01Z"
  }
}