Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity in Validator.jsGHSA-xx4c-jj58-r7x6
MEDIUMFix: validatorjs/validator.js#1738GHSA-xx4c-jj58-r7x6 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.3) vulnerability in validator. A fix is available for validator — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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.
validatornpmDescription
Impact
Versions of validator prior to 13.7.0 are affected by an inefficient Regular Expression complexity when using the rtrim and trim sanitizers.
Patches
The problem has been patched in validator 13.7.0
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | validator | ≥ 11.1.0&&< 13.7.0 | 13.7.0npm install validator@13.7.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for validator, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update validator to 13.7.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xx4c-jj58-r7x6 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-xx4c-jj58-r7x6 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.