GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-1333 vulnerability in printf. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
printf vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS)
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
printfnpmDescription
The package printf before 0.6.1 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) via the regex string
/\%(?:\(([\w_.]+)\)|([1-9]\d*)\$)?([0 +\-\]*)(\*|\d+)?(\.)?(\*|\d+)?[hlL]?([\%bscdeEfFgGioOuxX])/g
in lib/printf.js. The vulnerable regular expression has cubic worst-case time complexity.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | printf | all versions | 0.6.1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for printf. 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 printf to 0.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2 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 GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2 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 GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.