CVE-2026-86429

CVE-2026-86429 is a high-severity vulnerability in Thephpleague Commonmark with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-407.

Key facts

Description

The league/commonmark (thephpleague/commonmark) library in versions >= 1.5.0 and < 2.9.1 contains quadratic parsing complexity in its SmartPunctExtension and AttributesExtension. When either extension is explicitly registered on the Environment (they are not enabled by default and are excluded from the standard CommonMark and GitHub-Flavored Markdown converters), an unauthenticated attacker can submit small, specially crafted Markdown documents — such as text alternating with unpaired quotes, contiguous runs of block-level attribute blocks, or repeated class attributes — to trigger disproportionate CPU consumption and cause a denial of service. Fixed in 2.9.1.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-86429?
The league/commonmark (thephpleague/commonmark) library in versions >= 1.5.0 and < 2.9.1 contains quadratic parsing complexity in its SmartPunctExtension and AttributesExtension. When either extension is explicitly registered on the Environment (they are not enabled by default and are excluded from the standard CommonMark and GitHub-Flavored Markdown converters), an unauthenticated attacker can submit small, specially crafted Markdown documents — such as text alternating with unpaired quotes, contiguous runs of block-level attribute blocks, or repeated class attributes — to trigger disproportionate CPU consumption and cause a denial of service. Fixed in 2.9.1.
How severe is CVE-2026-86429?
CVE-2026-86429 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-86429 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (22nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-86429?
CVE-2026-86429 affects Thephpleague Commonmark. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-86429?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2026-86429 published?
CVE-2026-86429 was published on 2026-09-07 and last updated on 2026-09-19.

References

Affected products (1)

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