Fast Xml ParserApplication · Naturalintelligence

CVE-2026-27942

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.5.4 / 5.3.8 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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 · unedited
fast-xml-parser allows users to validate XML, parse XML to JS object, or build XML from JS object without C/C++ based libraries and no callback. Prior to version 5.3.8, the application crashes with stack overflow when user use XML builder with `preserveOrder:true`. Version 5.3.8 fixes the issue. As a workaround, use XML builder with `preserveOrder:false` or check the input data before passing to builder.

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
How this class of weakness works · CWE-120

A fixed-size buffer is filled without checking the length of the incoming data, so it overflows into neighbouring memory. This is the classic overflow attackers use to overwrite return addresses and hijack execution. The fix is strict length checks and safe, bounded string and memory functions.

General guidance for the classic buffer overflow class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

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
Fast Xml ParserApplication
Affected:< 4.5.4>= 5.0.0, < 5.3.8

CVSS 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

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.5.4 / 5.3.8 or later
Fixed in 4.5.45.3.8
Vendor patch github.com →
Recommended fix High confidence

fast-xml-parser version 5.3.8 (or 4.5.4 for 4.x branch)

  1. Upgrade fast-xml-parser to version 5.3.8 or later for the 5.x branch, or version 4.5.4 or later for the 4.x branch
  2. Run your test suite to verify the XML parsing functionality works correctly with the new version
  3. If upgrade is not immediately possible, implement the workaround by setting `preserveOrder:false` in your XML builder configuration
  4. Alternatively, validate and sanitize input data before passing it to the XML builder to prevent the stack overflow condition
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and 5.3.8; the preserveOrder feature behavior may have been modified

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $3,200. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-27942 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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