CVE-2015-10005: markdown-it - Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
Summary
CVE-2015-10005: markdown-it vulnerable to Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity. Affects markdown-it versions < 3.0.0. Fixed in 3.0.0. How to fix ↓
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Background
markdown-it is an npm package that provides a Markdown parser and compiler for JavaScript. It is commonly used to convert Markdown syntax into HTML. The package allows developers to easily incorporate Markdown functionality into their applications. However, versions up to 2.x of markdown-it are vulnerable to an inefficient regular expression complexity issue, which can lead to performance degradation and potential denial-of-service attacks.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability exists in an unknown function within the lib/common/html_re.js file of markdown-it. The issue arises from inefficient regular expressions, which can result in excessive backtracking and high computational complexity. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted input, causing the Markdown parser to consume excessive CPU resources and potentially leading to a denial-of-service condition. The vulnerability has been assigned the identifier VDB-216852 and has a CVSS score of 7.5 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
How To Fix
Latest published version: 15.0.3 as of 22 Oct 2026
npm install markdown-it@15.0.3Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the version below is the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you need the minimum change
3.0.0
This is the first release that contains the fix.
npm install markdown-it@3.0.0Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability. The recommended approach is to upgrade to the fixed version of markdown-it (3.0.0 or later).
Conclusion
The markdown-it package up to version 2.x is vulnerable to an inefficient regular expression complexity issue. This can lead to performance degradation and potential denial-of-service attacks. To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to upgrade to version 3.0.0 or later. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for markdown-it →
FAQ
markdown-it is an npm package that provides a Markdown parser and compiler for JavaScript. It allows developers to convert Markdown syntax into HTML.
The vulnerability can result in performance degradation and potential denial-of-service attacks if exploited by providing specially crafted input.
To fix this vulnerability, upgrade the markdown-it package to version 3.0.0 or later.
There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability. Upgrading to the fixed version is the recommended solution.
You can find more information about this vulnerability in the GitHub Advisory Database at the following link: https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2022/12/GHSA-j5p7-jf4q-742q/GHSA-j5p7-jf4q-742q.json
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