CVE-2026-33349
fast-xml-parser: Entity Expansion Limits Bypassed When Set to Zero Due to JavaScript Falsy Evaluation
fast-xml-parser allows users to process XML from JS object without C/C++ based libraries or callbacks. From version 4.0.0-beta.3 to before version 5.5.7, the DocTypeReader in fast-xml-parser uses JavaScript truthy checks to evaluate maxEntityCount and maxEntitySize configuration limits. When a developer explicitly sets either limit to 0 — intending to disallow all entities or restrict entity size to zero bytes — the falsy nature of 0 in JavaScript causes the guard conditions to short-circuit, completely bypassing the limits. An attacker who can supply XML input to such an application can trigger unbounded entity expansion, leading to memory exhaustion and denial of service. This issue has been patched in version 5.5.7.
- Affected
- NaturalIntelligence · fast-xml-parser
- CVSS v3.1 GITHUB
- 5.9 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - EPSS
- 0.48% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, 40th percentile
- Published
- 2026-03-24
- Updated
- 2026-03-25
Proof-of-concept exploits (1)
Security advisories
- NaturalIntelligence/fast-xml-parser/security/advisories/GHSA-jp2q-39xq-3w4g
- NaturalIntelligence/fast-xml-parser/commit/239b64aa1fc5c5455ddebbbb54a187eb68c9fdb7