CVE-2018-1109: Braces Denial of Service Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cwfw-4gq5-mrqx
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CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1109 is a LOW denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Braces libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves regular expression denial of service (redos) in braces. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.1.

CVE-2018-1109 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1109
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cwfw-4gq5-mrqx
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Braces
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2018-1109

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

braces fixed: 2.3.1 
npm install braces@2.3.1
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 braces

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-1109, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls braces

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Braces in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls braces 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 Braces, 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

A vulnerability was found in Braces versions from v2.2.0 up to but not including v2.3.1. Affected versions of this package are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) attacks. This has been patched in version 2.3.1.

CVE-2018-1109 Affected Braces Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
braces
npm/braces
npm
≥ 2.2.0
< 2.3.1
2.3.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1109 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1109
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/micromatch/braces/commit/abdafb0cae1e0c00f184abbadc692f4eaa98f451
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1547272
snyk.io/vuln/npm:braces:201... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/npm:braces:20180219

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1109?
CVE-2018-1109 is a security vulnerability in Braces involving Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in braces under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Braces versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.1 across affected packages: braces.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1109?
Upgrading to 2.3.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is braces affected?
Yes, braces is affected in releases prior to 2.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1109?
CVE-2018-1109 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-2018-1109?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls braces'. 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-cwfw-4gq5-mrqx",
  "modified" : "2025-11-26T16:25:50Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-06T20:42:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1109" ],
  "summary" : "Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in braces",
  "details" : "A vulnerability was found in Braces versions from v2.2.0 up to but not including v2.3.1. Affected versions of this package are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) attacks. This has been patched in version 2.3.1.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "braces"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1109"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/micromatch/braces/commit/abdafb0cae1e0c00f184abbadc692f4eaa98f451"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1547272"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/npm:braces:20180219"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-31T21:35:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-30T02:15:00Z"
  }
}