CVE-2026-118772

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CVE-2026-118772

Summary: joi: quadratic-time split in `string().email({ multiple: true })` allows denial of service

Details: joi is a schema description language and data validator for JavaScript. From 17.1.1 until 17.13.9 and 18.3.1, the Joi.string().email({ multiple: true }) rule uses a separator regular expression whose leading whitespace quantifier is retried at every position in a long whitespace run that contains no separator, causing quadratic work during String.prototype.split. The behavior applies to the default separator and every custom separator. Applications that validate attacker-controlled values with the multiple option and no effective prior length limit can have the Node.js event loop blocked for seconds by one request, preventing other work. A .max() rule is not sufficient when abortEarly: false allows the email rule to run after the maximum-length check fails. This vulnerability is fixed in versions 17.13.9 and 18.3.1.

References: https://github.com/hapijs/joi/releases/tag/v17.13.9, https://github.com/hapijs/joi/releases/tag/v18.3.1, https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/118xxx/CVE-2026-118772.json, https://github.com/hapijs/joi/security/advisories/GHSA-4528-x5fx-h6hg, https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-118772, https://github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/03dc1d909818503b06240dadc81e9227ed2649cf, https://github.com/hapijs/joi/commit/807858d7480f5075b0610817e3e44230890fb18e, https://github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3162, https://github.com/hapijs/joi/pull/3163