CVE-2026-33079: Mistune ReDoS in LINK_TITLE_RE allows denial of service with crafted Markdown titles
In versions 3.0.0a1 through 3.2.0 of Mistune, there is a ReDoS (Regular Expression Denial of Service) vulnerability in `LINK_TITLE_RE` that allows an attacker who can supply Markdown for parsing to cause denial of service. The regular expression used for parsing link titles contains overlapping alternatives that can trigger catastrophic backtracking. In both the double-quoted and single-quoted branches, a backslash followed by punctuation can be matched either as an escaped punctuation sequence or as two ordinary characters, creating an ambiguous pattern inside a repeated group. If an attacker supplies Markdown containing repeated ! sequences with no closing quote, the regex engine explores an exponential number of backtracking paths. This is reachable through normal Markdown parsing of inline links and block link reference definitions. A small crafted input can therefore cause significant CPU consumption and make applications using Mistune unresponsive.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Mistune can consume excessive CPU when parsing a specially crafted Markdown link title, potentially making an application unavailable. Risk is highest where public or untrusted users can submit Markdown that is processed by affected Mistune versions.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for internet-facing or multi-tenant services that parse user-controlled Markdown. Treat internal systems as lower urgency only after confirming inputs are trusted and resource limits contain CPU exhaustion. The vulnerability can disrupt availability without authentication.
Technical view
Mistune 3.0.0a1 through 3.2.0 contains an ambiguous repeated pattern in LINK_TITLE_RE. Malformed link titles can trigger exponential regular-expression backtracking during ordinary inline-link or reference-definition parsing, causing CPU exhaustion. The supplied CVSS 4.0 score is 8.7, with availability impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure requires Mistune 3.0.0a1 through 3.2.0, directly or transitively, plus a path where attacker-controlled Markdown reaches normal parsing. Public editors, comments, documentation services, converters, and APIs may be relevant only if they meet both conditions.
Exploitation context
The supplied assessment describes remote, low-complexity, unauthenticated exploitation without user interaction. However, the bundle marks this CVE as absent from KEV and provides no evidence of active exploitation. Impact is denial of service, not disclosed data theft or modification.
Researcher notes
CWE-1333 applies: inefficient regular-expression complexity caused by overlapping alternatives inside repetition. Reachability includes ordinary inline links and block reference definitions. The source bundle establishes affected versions through 3.2.0 but does not explicitly identify the first fixed release or demonstrate exploitation in the wild.
Mitigation direction
Inventory direct and transitive Mistune versions across applications and deployed environments.
Update to a vendor-confirmed non-affected Mistune release; the bundle does not identify a specific fixed version.
Apply applicable Red Hat errata where Mistune is supplied through affected Red Hat products.
Until updated, restrict untrusted Markdown processing and enforce request, CPU, and worker time limits.
Review the GitHub advisory and relevant vendor guidance before selecting compensating controls.
Validation and detection
Confirm deployed Mistune versions, including vendored, containerized, and transitive copies.
Trace whether untrusted Markdown reaches inline-link or reference-definition parsing.
Verify update status against the GitHub advisory or applicable Red Hat errata.
In a controlled environment, confirm malformed link-title parsing terminates within enforced resource limits.
Review CPU saturation, worker timeouts, and availability alerts around Markdown-processing endpoints.
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
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cwe · low confidence lookup
CWE-1333: Exact CWE lookup
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CWE-1333 · source CWE mapping
Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.