CVE-2018-19826
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn inspect.cpp in LibSass 3.5.5, a high memory footprint caused by an endless loop (containing a Sass::Inspect::operator()(Sass::String_Quoted*) stack frame) may cause a Denial of Service via crafted sass input files with stray '&' or '/' characters. NOTE: Upstream comments indicate this issue is closed as "won't fix" and "works as intended" by design
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceLibSass 3.5.5 contains an endless loop in inspect.cpp within the Sass::Inspect::operator()(Sass::String_Quoted*) function. Crafted Sass input files containing stray '&' or '/' characters trigger this loop, causing excessive memory consumption that can lead to denial of service. The upstream project has declined to fix this issue, marking it as 'works as intended'.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 3.5.5CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify LibSass versionRun `libsass-version` or check your package manager (npm list libsass, gem list libsass, pip show libsass) to determine the installed LibSass versionAffected if Version is exactly 3.5.5
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Check for Sass processing toolsIdentify if you have tools that use LibSass (sassc, node-sass, sass-rails, phpsasscompiler) and run `tool --version` to confirm they are linked to LibSass 3.5.5Affected if The Sass compiler binary/library reports version 3.5.5
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Inspect running processesCheck for active Sass compilation processes using `ps aux | grep -i sass` or monitor network/process logs for Sass file processingAffected if Sass files are being compiled using the vulnerable LibSass version
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Review application dependenciesExamine your project's dependency files (package.json, Gemfile, requirements.txt) for libsass or node-sass entries specifying version 3.5.5Affected if Direct dependency on LibSass 3.5.5 is declared
You are affected if LibSass version 3.5.5 is installed and used to compile Sass files containing stray '&' or '/' characters, which triggers the endless loop in the Sass::Inspect::String_Quoted operator.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataSince upstream will not patch this vulnerability, implement input validation to reject files with malformed '&' or '/' characters before processing, or apply resource limits (memory caps, timeouts) on Sass compilation processes to mitigate the DoS risk.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-19826 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-19826 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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