js-yaml: maxTotalMergeKeys does not limit CPU use for empty merge sources
## Summary
`maxTotalMergeKeys` does not count empty mappings. An attacker can repeatedly merge a large sequence of them and consume significant CPU without reaching the configured limit.
## Example
```yaml
arr: &arr [{}, {}, {}, ...] # N empty mappings
targets:
- <<: *arr # repeated K times
```
For every target, the loader iterates all `N` elements of `arr`. This results in `O(N * K)` work while `totalMergeKeys` remains unchanged.
## PoC
```js
import { performance } from 'node:perf_hooks'
import { load, YAML11_SCHEMA } from 'js-yaml'
const n = 20000
const src =
'arr: &arr [' + '{},'.repeat(n).slice(0, -1) + ']\n' +
js-yaml: maxTotalMergeKeys does not limit CPU use for empty merge sources
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. From 3.0.0 until 3.15.2, 4.3.2, and 5.4.1, maxTotalMergeKeys in lib/js-yaml/loader.js and lib/loader.js does not count empty mapping sources while processing the merge key <<. An attacker can alias a large sequence of empty mappings into many merge targets, causing O(N * K) processing while totalMergeKeys remains unchanged and the configured resource limit is never reached. A relatively small YAML document can therefore cause prolonged CPU consumption in applications that parse untrusted YAML, and merge processing is enabled by default on these release lines. In v3 & v4, merge is enabled by defa
js-yaml: Exponential parsing time in the flow collections leads to denial of service
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. From 5.0.0 until 5.2.2, parsing a small YAML document can take exponential time when an application calls load() or loadAll() on untrusted input. In src/parser/parser.ts, readFlowCollection uses restoreState and calls parseNode a second time when a flow-sequence entry is recognized as a key: value pair. If the key is a nested flow sequence of the same shape, every level is parsed twice, causing O(2^n) work and allowing an input under 200 bytes to keep one CPU busy for minutes, block the Node.js event loop, and stall the process. No anchors, aliases, merges, tags, or nondefault options are requir
JS-YAML: Quadratic CPU consumption in !!omap resolution (3.x and 4.x) — CVE-2026-59870 fix not backported
# Quadratic CPU consumption in `!!omap` resolution (js-yaml 3.x and 4.x)
## Summary
`resolveYamlOmap()` enforces key uniqueness for `!!omap` sequences with a linear
scan (`objectKeys.indexOf(...)`) inside the per-element loop, making resolution
**O(n²)** in the number of entries. A modestly sized YAML document therefore
consumes disproportionate CPU inside `yaml.load()`, giving a denial of service
against any consumer that parses untrusted YAML.
`!!omap` is registered in the **default schema**
(`lib/schema/default.js` → `require('../type/omap')`), so a plain
`yaml.load(untrustedInput)` with no options is affected — no custom schema or
non-
js-yaml: YAML merge-key chains can force quadratic CPU consumption
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. From 5.0.0 before 5.2.0, when merge keys are enabled, js-yaml can spend quadratic CPU time parsing a document whose size grows only linearly when a chain of mappings uses merge keys where each mapping merges the previous one. This issue is fixed in version 5.2.0.
js-yaml: YAML merge-key chains can force quadratic CPU consumption
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. From 3.0.0 before 3.15.0 and from 4.0.0 before 4.3.0, js-yaml can spend quadratic CPU time parsing a document whose size grows only linearly when a chain of mappings uses merge keys where each mapping merges the previous one. This issue is fixed in versions 3.15.0 and 4.3.0.
js-yaml quadratic-complexity denial of service via YAML11_SCHEMA !!omap parsing
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. Prior to 3.15.1, 4.3.1, and 5.2.1, YAML11_SCHEMA support for the !!omap tag in src/tag/sequence/omap.ts uses omapTag.addItem() to perform a linear duplicate-key scan on every insertion, causing O(n^2) CPU consumption when yaml.load() parses a crafted ordered-map document. In v3 and v4, !!omap is active and exploitable by default. v5 doesn't use !!omap by default, and the chances of activating it are very low.This issue is fixed in 3.15.1, 4.3.1, and 5.2.1.
js-yaml: Quadratic-complexity DoS in merge key handling via repeated aliases
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. Prior to 4.2.0 and 3.15.0, a crafted YAML document can trigger algorithmic CPU exhaustion in js-yaml merge-key processing (<<) by repeating the same alias many times in a merge sequence. This causes quadratic parse-time behavior relative to input size and can block a Node.js worker/event loop for seconds with a relatively small payload (tens of KB), resulting in denial of service. The issue is in merge handling inside lib/loader.js. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.0 and 3.15.0.
js-yaml is a JavaScript YAML parser and dumper. In js-yaml before 4.1.1 and 3.14.2, it's possible for an attacker to modify the prototype of the result of a parsed yaml document via prototype pollution (`__proto__`). All users who parse untrusted yaml documents may be impacted. The problem is patched in js-yaml 4.1.1 and 3.14.2. Users can protect against this kind of attack on the server by using `node --disable-proto=delete` or `deno` (in Deno, pollution protection is on by default).
Versions of `js-yaml` prior to 3.13.0 are vulnerable to Denial of Service. By parsing a carefully-crafted YAML file, the node process stalls and may exhaust system resources leading to a Denial of Service.
## Recommendation
Upgrade to version 3.13.0.
Versions of `js-yaml` prior to 3.13.1 are vulnerable to Code Injection. The `load()` function may execute arbitrary code injected through a malicious YAML file. Objects that have `toString` as key, JavaScript code as value and are used as explicit mapping keys allow attackers to execute the supplied code through the `load()` function. The `safeLoad()` function is unaffected.
An example payload is
`{ toString: !<tag:yaml.org,2002:js/function> 'function (){return Date.now()}' } : 1`
which returns the object
{
"1553107949161": 1
}
## Recommendation
Upgrade to version 3.13.1.
The JS-YAML module before 2.0.5 for Node.js parses input without properly considering the unsafe !!js/function tag, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted string that triggers an eval operation.