CVE-2026-26996: Minimatch vulnerability (CVSS 7.5)

Description

minimatch is a minimal matching utility for converting glob expressions into JavaScript RegExp objects. Versions 10.2.0 and below are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) when a glob pattern contains many consecutive * wildcards followed by a literal character that doesn't appear in the test string. Each * compiles to a separate [^/]*? regex group, and when the match fails, V8's regex engine backtracks exponentially across all possible splits. The time complexity is O(4^N) where N is the number of * characters. With N=15, a single minimatch() call takes ~2 seconds. With N=34, it hangs effectively forever. Any application that passes user-controlled strings to minimatch() as the pattern argument is vulnerable to DoS. This issue has been fixed in version 10.2.1.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionNone

ScopeUnchanged

ConfidentialityNone

IntegrityNone

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected products

Minimatch≥ 10.0.0 < 10.2.1 · ≥ 3.0.0 < 3.1.3 · ≥ 4.0.0 < 4.2.4 · ≥ 5.0.0 < 5.1.7

Remediation

Fixed in

Minimatch≥ 10.2.1

Patch & vendor advisories

References

https://github.com/isaacs/minimatch/commit/2e111f3a79abc00fa73110195de2c0f2351904f5Patch
https://github.com/isaacs/minimatch/security/advisories/GHSA-3ppc-4f35-3m26ExploitVendor Advisory

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-26996 being actively exploited?

CVE-2026-26996 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. A public exploit reference exists, so treat it as exploitable. Its EPSS exploit probability is 0.53%.

How severe is CVE-2026-26996?

CVE-2026-26996 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated high. EPSS estimates a 0.53% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-26996?

Affected products include Minimatch.

How do I fix CVE-2026-26996?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Minimatch 10.2.1 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-26996 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

See how prioritisation works Book a demo