CVE-2026-59925 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-407 vulnerability in mistune. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-59925 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
inline_parser: quadratic-time parsing on long runs of `**x**` and `***x***` emphasis pairs
Real-World Exposure
mistuneReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Mistune is a Python Markdown parser with renderers and plugins. Prior to 3.3.0, long sequences of well-formed double-asterisk or triple-asterisk emphasis pairs around a character cause quadratic work in src/mistune/inline_parser.py because the parser scans forward for matching close markers from every potential opening run, allowing denial of service in default Mistune parsing. This issue is fixed in version 3.3.0.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | mistune | all versions | 3.3.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for mistune. 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 mistune to 3.3.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-59925 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-2026-59925 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-2026-59925. 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-2026-59925 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-59925 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.