CVE-2026-14257 brace-expansion vulnerability
brace-expansion through 5.0.7 is vulnerable to denial of service via memory exhaustion. The expand() function limits the number of results with a max option (default 100,000) but does not bound the length of each result string. By chaining multiple brace groups, an attacker keeps the result count under the limit while making each result progressively longer, so total memory scales with both count and string length until the process hits a fatal, uncatchable out-of-memory error. About 7.5 KB of input ('{a,b}'.repeat(1500)) crashes a default Node.js process. Any application that passes attacker-influenced strings to brace-expansion.expand() - directly or transitively via minimatch / glob brace patterns - can be crashed by a small request. Fixed in 5.0.8 by adding a maxLength option (default 4,000,000) that bounds accumulated output and intermediate arrays.
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juliangruber brace-expansion should be reviewed and updated if it matches the affected versions. The recommended fix is to apply the vendor-supported patched version or the mitigation steps below, then retest the public website with Fixnx.
Who is affected
Affected versions
- <= 5.0.7
Fixed versions
- Apply the latest vendor-supported patched version.
How to fix it
CVE-2026-14257 affects brace-expansion and involves denial of service. A remote or untrusted peer may consume excessive resources or crash the affected service. Prioritize internet-facing, privileged, automation, and production deployments. No confirmed fixed version is recorded for CVE-2026-14257; follow the linked vendor advisory, apply its mitigation, and update brace-expansion as soon as a supported patched release is available.
- Inventory every deployment, device, package, plugin, container, build, and environment that uses brace-expansion.
- Compare the installed version with the recorded affected range: <= 5.0.7.
- No confirmed fixed version is recorded for CVE-2026-14257; follow the linked vendor advisory, apply its mitigation, and update brace-expansion as soon as a supported patched release is available.
- Until patched, limit untrusted files and peers, apply resource limits, and isolate the affected parser or service.
- Review configuration, roles, tokens, network paths, and exposed endpoints connected to brace-expansion; remove access that is not required.
- Review application, system, proxy, and audit logs for requests and behavior linked to the affected feature and CVE.
- If exploitation is suspected, isolate affected assets, preserve evidence, rotate exposed credentials or keys, restore trusted data, and rebuild compromised systems before returning them to service.
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Verify the fix
- Confirm every affected asset now runs the fixed vendor-supported release or has the documented mitigation for CVE-2026-14257 in place.
- Use a safe regression test to confirm the affected denial of service path no longer produces the vulnerable behavior.
- Confirm temporary access controls, endpoint restrictions, network blocks, and least-privilege settings remain effective after the update.
- Review post-remediation logs and rerun Fixnx plus the relevant package, dependency, firmware, browser, or product-specific security check.
- Document affected assets, versions, changes, validation evidence, reviewed logs, and any credential rotation, cleanup, or replacement completed.
Related categories
Related security risks
More published guidance from the same primary category.
Trusted references
FAQ
What is affected by CVE-2026-14257?
juliangruber brace-expansion versions listed as affected should be reviewed: <= 5.0.7.
What should I fix first?
Start with internet-facing sites, admin panels, login flows, plugins, themes, modules, packages, and systems that process user-controlled input or sensitive data.
How do I confirm the fix worked?
Apply the patched version or mitigation, clear caches where relevant, retest the affected workflow, and run a new Fixnx scan to verify public website exposure signals.
How are Fixnx security risk categories chosen?
Fixnx keeps one canonical risk page and assigns only broad, relevant categories such as ecosystem, technology area, or vulnerability class.