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Bump js-yaml to 3.15.2 to remediate merge-key CPU exhaustion advisory - #66

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codex/resolve-js-yaml-vulnerability
Sep 10, 2026
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mageroni merged 2 commits into
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codex/resolve-js-yaml-vulnerability

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@Codex Codex AI commented Sep 10, 2026

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js-yaml@3.15.1 is vulnerable to CPU exhaustion when processing repeated YAML merge sources with empty mappings, where maxTotalMergeKeys does not bound work effectively. This PR applies the minimum patched version (3.15.2) to remove the vulnerable resolution with minimal dependency churn.

  • Dependency remediation

    • Updated npm override for js-yaml from 3.15.1 to 3.15.2 in package.json.
    • Regenerated package-lock.json via npm so the resolved artifact is js-yaml-3.15.2.tgz.
  • Resolution scope

    • Change is limited to dependency metadata (package.json, package-lock.json); no application logic updates.
  • Reachability assessment

    • Advisory targets YAML merge-key parsing behavior in js-yaml.
    • Repository search found no direct runtime imports/call sites for js-yaml; presence is transitive through test/tooling dependencies.
    • Assessment: vulnerable code path is not reachable from production runtime paths in this repo.
    • Confidence: high (advisory specifies affected API/behavior, and codebase usage is traceable).
// package.json
{
  "overrides": {
    "js-yaml": "3.15.2"
  }
}
Original prompt

This section details the Dependabot vulnerability alert you should resolve

<alert_title>js-yaml: maxTotalMergeKeys does not limit CPU use for empty merge sources</alert_title>
<alert_description>## 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

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

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' +
  'targets:\n' +
  '  - <<: *arr\n'.repeat(n)

const started = performance.now()

load(src, { schema: YAML11_SCHEMA })

console.log(`${(performance.now() - started).toFixed(1)} ms`)

Observed results:

N YAML size Time
800 ~13 KB ~20 ms
3200 ~50 KB ~180 ms
20000 ~500 KB ~13 s

Impact

An attacker can submit a relatively small YAML document that causes prolonged CPU consumption despite the default maxTotalMergeKeys limit.

Fix

Count each merge-source mapping as one budget unit, in addition to counting its keys.

Difference with v5

In v3 & v4, merge is enabled by default. So, the severity score is higher.</alert_description>

high
GHSA-2883-xcg3-v3hh, CVE-2026-84375
js-yaml
npm
<vulnerable_versions>3.15.1</vulnerable_versions>
<patched_version>3.15.2</patched_version>
<manifest_path>package-lock.json</manifest_path>

https://github.com/nodeca/js-yaml/security/advisories/GHSA-2883-xcg3-v3hh https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-84375 https://github.com/nodeca/js-yaml/pull/797 https://github.com/nodeca/js-yaml/commit/3485bc06ff8a0251505f44a00414d90df2466639 https://github.com/nodeca/js-yaml/commit/6a8e05f9a485188ed730ac81e81ae221352ef480 https://github.com/nodeca/js-yaml/commit/d90b6612a5a84385bdcb556c44578eac76dc0f6b https://github.com/nodeca/js-yaml/releases/tag/3.15.2 https://github.com/nodeca/js-yaml/releases/tag/4.3.2 https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2883-xcg3-v3hh

<task_instructions>Resolve this alert by updating the affected package to a non-vulnerable version. Prefer the lowest non-vulnerable version (see the patched_version field above) over the latest to minimize breaking changes. Include a Reachability Assessment section in the PR description. Review the alert_description field to understand which APIs, features, or configurations are affected, then search the codebase for usage of those specific items. If the vulnerable code path is reachable, explain how (which files, APIs, or call sites use the affected functionality) and note that the codebase is actively exposed to this vulnerability. If the vulnerable code path is not reachable, explain why (e.g. the affected API is never called, the vulnerable configuration is not used) and note that the update is primarily to satisfy vulnerability scanners rather than to address an active risk. If the advisory is too vague to determine reachability (e.g. 'improper input validation' with no specific API named), state that reachability could not be determined and explain why. Include a confidence level in the reachability assessment (e.g. high confidence if the advisory names a specific API and you confirmed it is or is not called, low confidence if the usage is indirect and hard to trace). If no patched version is available, check the alert_description field for a Workarounds section — the advisory may describe configuration changes or usage patterns that mitigate the vulnerability without a version update. If a workaround is available, apply it and leave a code comment referencing the advisory identifier explaining it is a temporary mitigation. If neither a patch nor a workaround is available, explain in the PR description why the alert cannot be resolved automatically so a human reviewer can take over. Inspect the repository to determine which package manager is used (e.g. lock files, config files, build scripts) and use that tooling to perform the update — do not edit lock files directly. If the version constraint in the manifest (e.g. package.json, Gemfile, pyproject.toml) caps the version below the fix, update the constraint first. For transitive dependencies, determine whether it is simpler to update the direct dependency that pulls in the vulnerable package or to update the transitive dependency directly, and choose the least disruptive approach. If upgrading to fix the vulnerability forces a major version bump or known breaking...

Co-authored-by: mageroni <107436170+mageroni@users.noreply.github.com>
@Codex Codex AI changed the title [WIP] Fix js-yaml CPU usage vulnerability Bump js-yaml to 3.15.2 to remediate merge-key CPU exhaustion advisory Sep 10, 2026
@Codex
Codex AI requested a review from mageroni September 10, 2026 21:51
@mageroni
mageroni marked this pull request as ready for review September 10, 2026 21:52
Copilot AI balanced review requested due to automatic review settings September 10, 2026 21:52
@mageroni
mageroni merged commit 287e0f6 into main Sep 10, 2026
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@mageroni
mageroni deleted the codex/resolve-js-yaml-vulnerability branch September 10, 2026 21:52

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🟢 Approval recommended

The manifest and lockfile consistently resolve the verified patched version with no application-code impact.

Pull request overview

Updates the transitive js-yaml dependency to remediate GHSA-2883-xcg3-v3hh with minimal dependency churn.

Changes:

  • Pins the npm override to patched version 3.15.2.
  • Regenerates the lockfile with the matching artifact and integrity hash.
File summaries
File Description
package.json Updates the js-yaml override.
package-lock.json Locks the patched package artifact.
Review details
  • Files reviewed: 1/2 changed files
  • Comments generated: 0
  • Review effort level: Balanced

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3 participants