CVE-2026-73413: CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in ericcornelissen shescape
Shescape is a simple shell escape library for JavaScript. From 2.1.11 until 2.1.14 and 3.0.1, the flag-protection loop in compose in src/internal/compose.js repeatedly joins and slices flag fragments when flagProtection is enabled, which is the default, making processing quadratic in input size across the escape, escapeAll, quote, and quoteAll APIs. An attacker who can supply a large untrusted input containing many flag fragments can consume CPU and cause denial of service. This issue is fixed in versions 2.1.14 and 3.0.1.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability in shescape arises from the flag-protection loop in src/internal/compose.js, which repeatedly joins and slices flag fragments, causing processing time to grow quadratically with input size. This affects the escape, escapeAll, quote, and quoteAll APIs when flagProtection is enabled (default). An attacker providing large untrusted inputs with many flag fragments can exploit this to consume excessive CPU resources, resulting in denial of service. The flaw is fixed in versions 2.1.14 and 3.0.1.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause denial of service by supplying large inputs that trigger excessive CPU consumption due to the quadratic processing loop. This can degrade or halt service availability of applications using vulnerable versions of shescape.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade to shescape versions 2.1.14 or 3.0.1 or later, where the issue is fixed. No other mitigations are indicated by the vendor advisory. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the input data, but the description states the issue is fixed in these versions.
CVE-2026-73413: CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in ericcornelissen shescape
Description
Shescape is a simple shell escape library for JavaScript. From 2.1.11 until 2.1.14 and 3.0.1, the flag-protection loop in compose in src/internal/compose.js repeatedly joins and slices flag fragments when flagProtection is enabled, which is the default, making processing quadratic in input size across the escape, escapeAll, quote, and quoteAll APIs. An attacker who can supply a large untrusted input containing many flag fragments can consume CPU and cause denial of service. This issue is fixed in versions 2.1.14 and 3.0.1.
CVSS v4.0
Score 8.7high
Affected software
ericcornelissen
shescape
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability in shescape arises from the flag-protection loop in src/internal/compose.js, which repeatedly joins and slices flag fragments, causing processing time to grow quadratically with input size. This affects the escape, escapeAll, quote, and quoteAll APIs when flagProtection is enabled (default). An attacker providing large untrusted inputs with many flag fragments can exploit this to consume excessive CPU resources, resulting in denial of service. The flaw is fixed in versions 2.1.14 and 3.0.1.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause denial of service by supplying large inputs that trigger excessive CPU consumption due to the quadratic processing loop. This can degrade or halt service availability of applications using vulnerable versions of shescape.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade to shescape versions 2.1.14 or 3.0.1 or later, where the issue is fixed. No other mitigations are indicated by the vendor advisory. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the input data, but the description states the issue is fixed in these versions.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-12T14:32:11.795Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a7cd127bf8831d53911d10c
Added to database: 08/12/2026, 20:01:43 UTC
Last enriched: 08/12/2026, 20:12:24 UTC
Last updated: 09/26/2026, 13:47:48 UTC
Views: 57
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.