CVE-2026-48988

5.3 MEDIUM 0.4% exploit odds Fix listed Denial of service Library

What it is

markdown-it is a Markdown parser. Versions 14.1.1 and below contain a denial-of-service vulnerability when typographer: true is enabled, due to quadratic (O(n^2)) processing in the smartquotes rule. The issue stems from repeatedly modifying strings with replaceAt(), which performs O(n) slicing and concatenation per quote character. This can cause excessive CPU consumption when parsing quote-heavy, user-supplied markdown and may let attackers degrade or disrupt service availability. Although typographer is disabled by default, many production apps enable it for smart typography, making the issue relevant. This issue has been fixed in version 14.2.0.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited over the network without logging in. Limited direct impact.
Exploit odds: 0.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2026-06-17 21:16 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-06-24 19:06 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 0.4% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 5.3 MEDIUM (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2026-06-17 21:16 UTC
Last modified: 2026-06-24 19:06 UTC
Exploit probability: 0.4% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-400 · Uncontrolled resource consumption
Record status: Analyzed

Affected

markdown-it Project markdown-it < 14.2.0

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 5.3

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Raw vector

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

Is it in your code?

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Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2026-48988.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-48988. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record