CVE-2026-59869 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-407 vulnerability in js-yaml. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-59869 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
js-yaml: YAML merge-key chains can force quadratic CPU consumption
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.
js-yamlnpmDescription
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. From 3.0.0 before 3.15.0 and from 4.0.0 before 4.3.0, js-yaml can spend quadratic CPU time parsing a document whose size grows only linearly when a chain of mappings uses merge keys where each mapping merges the previous one. This issue is fixed in versions 3.15.0 and 4.3.0.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | js-yaml | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.15.0 | 3.15.0 |
| 📦npm | js-yaml | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.3.0 | 4.3.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for js-yaml. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update js-yaml to 3.15.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-59869 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-59869 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-59869. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-59869 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-59869 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.