CVE-2026-26278 | fast-xml-parser affected by DoS through entity expansion in DOCTYPE (no expansion limit)

Exp

fast-xml-parser allows users to validate XML, parse XML to JS object, or build XML from JS object without C/C++ based libraries and no callback. In versions 4.1.3 through 5.3.5, the XML parser can be forced to do an unlimited amount of entity expansion. With a very small XML input, it’s possible to make the parser spend seconds or even minutes processing a single request, effectively freezing the application. Version 5.3.6 fixes the issue. As a workaround, avoid using DOCTYPE parsing by `processEntities: false` option.

Published: 2026-02-19 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-26278 is rated High Exploit Risk (60.7/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.59%). Core evidence: 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2026-26278

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-26278

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.02% 0.59% +0.57%
2 2026-03-21 0.06% 0.02% -0.04%
3 2026-02-25 0.06%

Full EPSS history (4 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-26278

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-26278

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-26278

GHSA-jmr7-xgp7-cmfj · Severity: high · Ecosystem: npm — fast-xml-parser affected by DoS through entity expansion in DOCTYPE (no expansion limit)

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-26278

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-26278 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (node-webfont), 4 status rows across 4 suites (bookworm, forky, sid, trixie): undetermined 4. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-26278
redhat high https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-26278
suse high CVE-2026-26278 severity important: SUSE including 1 source package names (heroic-games-launcher-2.20.0-1.1), 1 product×package rows across 1 product lines (openSUSE Tumbleweed): Fixed 1. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-26278/
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-26278 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (node-webfont), 4 status rows across 4 suites (jammy, noble, questing, upstream): needs-triage 3, DNE 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-26278

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-26278

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
naturalintelligence fast-xml-parser >= 4.1.3, < 5.3.6 cpe:2.3:a:naturalintelligence:fast-xml-parser:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-26278

cvelogic Threat Intelligence