CVE-2026-48038: CWE-248: Uncaught Exception in hapijs joi
A vulnerability in the hapijs joi JavaScript schema validator allows denial of service via unhandled exceptions when validating deeply nested recursive schemas. Versions prior to 17.13.4 and 18.2.1 can crash if validate() is called without try/catch on such input. This causes a RangeError that can terminate the process. The issue is fixed in versions 17.13.4 and 18.2.1.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The hapijs joi library, used for schema validation in JavaScript, has a vulnerability (CVE-2026-48038) where deeply nested recursive link() schemas can cause an untrapped RangeError exception during validation. If validate() is invoked without a try/catch block, this unhandled exception can crash the process, resulting in a denial of service. Using validateAsync() or wrapping validate() in try/catch results in a caught RangeError instead of a structured ValidationError. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 17.13.4 and 18.2.1 and has been fixed in those versions.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause a denial of service by submitting deeply nested JSON or object input that triggers an unhandled RangeError in vulnerable versions of joi. This leads to process termination and service disruption. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity, only availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade to joi versions 17.13.4 or 18.2.1 or later where this issue is fixed. Alternatively, ensure that calls to validate() are wrapped in try/catch blocks to handle exceptions and prevent process crashes. Using validateAsync() also mitigates the risk by producing a catchable RangeError.
CVE-2026-48038: CWE-248: Uncaught Exception in hapijs joi
Description
A vulnerability in the hapijs joi JavaScript schema validator allows denial of service via unhandled exceptions when validating deeply nested recursive schemas. Versions prior to 17.13.4 and 18.2.1 can crash if validate() is called without try/catch on such input. This causes a RangeError that can terminate the process. The issue is fixed in versions 17.13.4 and 18.2.1.
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.3medium
Affected software
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The hapijs joi library, used for schema validation in JavaScript, has a vulnerability (CVE-2026-48038) where deeply nested recursive link() schemas can cause an untrapped RangeError exception during validation. If validate() is invoked without a try/catch block, this unhandled exception can crash the process, resulting in a denial of service. Using validateAsync() or wrapping validate() in try/catch results in a caught RangeError instead of a structured ValidationError. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 17.13.4 and 18.2.1 and has been fixed in those versions.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause a denial of service by submitting deeply nested JSON or object input that triggers an unhandled RangeError in vulnerable versions of joi. This leads to process termination and service disruption. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity, only availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade to joi versions 17.13.4 or 18.2.1 or later where this issue is fixed. Alternatively, ensure that calls to validate() are wrapped in try/catch blocks to handle exceptions and prevent process crashes. Using validateAsync() also mitigates the risk by producing a catchable RangeError.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-20T18:15:53.577Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a568f2568715ace43148c4e
Added to database: 07/14/2026, 19:33:57 UTC
Last enriched: 07/21/2026, 22:44:34 UTC
Last updated: 08/25/2026, 22:52:11 UTC
Views: 48
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