joi has an uncaught RangeError on deeply nested input through recursive `link()` schemas

Description

Impact

Denial of service via untrapped exception in services validating user-supplied JSON / object input with recursive link schemas.

The blast radius depends on how the application invokes joi:
- Highest impact: validate() called without try/catch in a request handler would cause an unhandled exception, potentially crashing the process.
- Lower impact: validateAsync() or validate() inside a try/catch, the validation fails, but the error type is RangeError rather than a structured ValidationError, complicating error handling.

Patches

Upgrade to version >= 18.2.1.

Workarounds

Try/catch the validation to avoid uncaught exceptions.

References

  • Pull request: hapijs/joi#3113

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2026-06-11 13:27:32 UTC
Updated
2026-06-12 19:28:28 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2026-06-11 13:27:32 UTC

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.04% 12.10%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
5.3 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L 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:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-248 Uncaught Exception
CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

Credits

  • kexwin (finder)

Affected packages (2)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
npm joi >= 18.0.0, < 18.2.1 18.2.1
npm joi < 17.13.4 17.13.4

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence