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CVE Record

CVE-2021-23446: Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS)

The package handsontable before 10.0.0; the package handsontable from 0 and before 10.0.0 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in Handsontable.helper.isNumeric function.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Handsontable versions before 10.0.0 can spend excessive CPU time while checking whether input is numeric. In a vulnerable application, malicious input could slow or interrupt service availability. The public sources rate this high because exploitation needs no privileges or user interaction, but they do not show data theft or tampering impact.

Executive priority

Prioritize remediation when Handsontable is used in public or partner-facing applications. The business risk is service disruption rather than data compromise based on current sources. Internal-only use still warrants routine upgrade because the affected versions are old.

Technical view

CVE-2021-23446 is a ReDoS issue in Handsontable.helper.isNumeric affecting Handsontable before 10.0.0. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.5 with network, low-complexity, unauthenticated, no-user-interaction characteristics and high availability impact only. The bundle does not provide exploit code or confirmed active exploitation.

Likely exposure

Applications using Handsontable below 10.0.0 are potentially exposed, including JavaScript packages and repackaged .NET or Java WebJars variants referenced by Snyk. Exposure is most relevant where untrusted input can reach Handsontable numeric parsing paths.

Exploitation context

The source bundle identifies the vulnerability class and affected function but does not cite CISA KEV listing, in-the-wild exploitation, or public exploitation status. Treat this as a credible denial-of-service risk, not confirmed active exploitation.

Researcher notes

The public record points to a ReDoS in isNumeric and a fix before 10.0.0, with related GitHub issue and pull request references. The bundle omits detailed CWE mapping, proof-of-concept specifics, and exploitation telemetry, so validation should rely on dependency evidence and application data flow.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Handsontable to version 10.0.0 or later where supported.
  • Check Snyk and vendor guidance for ecosystem-specific package names.
  • Prioritize internet-facing workflows accepting untrusted grid or spreadsheet-like input.
  • If upgrade is delayed, reduce untrusted input reaching numeric parsing paths.
  • Run application regression tests after upgrading Handsontable.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory npm, .NET, and Java/WebJars dependencies for Handsontable.
  • Flag any Handsontable package version below 10.0.0.
  • Review whether user-controlled values reach Handsontable.helper.isNumeric behavior.
  • Confirm lockfiles and deployed artifacts use the remediated version.
  • Test affected grid workflows for availability and numeric-input regressions.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
10

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2021-23446 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
9Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.5CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-23446Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/ahandsontableunspecifiedListed
n/aHandsontable0, unspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.