CVE-2026-13311
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 · uneditedshell-quote prior to 1.8.5 finalizes parsed tokens in parse() using Array.prototype.concat as a reduce accumulator, which reallocates and copies the entire growing array on every iteration. As a result parse() runs in O(n^2) time relative to the number of input tokens. An attacker who can supply an attacker-controlled string to any code path that calls parse() (no shell metacharacters are required; plain space-separated words suffice) can block the single-threaded Node.js event loop for an extended period with a small input, resulting in a denial of service. There is no code execution or data disclosure; impact is to availability only. Fixed in 1.8.5.
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 confidenceThe shell-quote npm package before 1.8.5 has a denial-of-service vulnerability in its parse() function. The function uses Array.prototype.concat as a reduce accumulator, which reallocates and copies the entire array on each iteration, resulting in O(n²) time complexity. An attacker can supply a string with many space-separated words to block the Node.js event loop.
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< 1.9.0CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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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Check installed shell-quote versionRun 'npm list shell-quote' in your project directory or inspect package.json dependenciesAffected if Version is less than 1.9.0
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Locate shell-quote usage in codeSearch source files for 'require("shell-quote")' or 'import ... shell-quote' and look for .parse( method callsAffected if Code calls the parse() function
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Identify parse() input sourceReview the code around parse() calls to determine if input comes from user-controlled sources such as HTTP requests, CLI arguments, or file contentAffected if parse() receives input from untrusted or external sources that could contain many words
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Assess input size potentialCheck if the application processes input strings that could reasonably contain many space-separated words (e.g., user-uploaded text, API payloads, large configuration values)Affected if Input to parse() can be arbitrarily large or attacker-controlled
You are affected if shell-quote version < 1.9.0 is installed AND your code calls parse() with untrusted or large input strings containing many space-separated words.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.9.0
Upgrade shell-quote to version 1.8.5 or later. Additionally, audit code paths that call parse() with untrusted input to ensure attackers cannot supply arbitrarily large input strings.
[email protected] (or latest stable)
- Run `npm list shell-quote` to identify the currently installed version
- Run `npm install shell-quote@^1.9.0` to upgrade to a fixed version
- Alternatively, run `npm update shell-quote` if using semver ranges in package.json
- Verify the upgrade was successful by running `npm list shell-quote` again
- If using a lockfile (package-lock.json or yarn.lock), ensure it is regenerated with `npm install` or `yarn install`
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-13311 — 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-2026-13311 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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