CVE-2026-48988: markdown-it is a Markdown parser

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-48988?

markdown-it: upgrade to 14.2.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2026-48988 being exploited?

CVE-2026-48988 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2026-48988 affect?

CVE-2026-48988 affects markdown-it. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.3). markdown-it is a Markdown parser. Versions 14.1.1 and below contain a denial-of-service vulnerability when typographer: true is enabled, due to quadratic (O(n^2)) processing in the smartquotes rule. The issue stems from repeatedly modifying

Q: How urgent is CVE-2026-48988?

Priority 36/100. Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This week

MEDIUM 5.3REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2026-48988 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.3) affecting markdown-it. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

markdown-it is a Markdown parser. Versions 14.1.1 and below contain a denial-of-service vulnerability when typographer: true is enabled, due to quadratic (O(n^2)) processing in the smartquotes rule. The issue stems from repeatedly modifying strings with replaceAt(), which performs O(n) slicing and concatenation per quote character. This can cause excessive CPU consumption when parsing quote-heavy, user-supplied markdown and may let attackers degr

Why this priority

Public exploit reference
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.3 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.4% (top 68%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-400
Published	2026-06-17
Last modified	2026-06-24

Publisher (CNA): GitHub, Inc. · Vendor: markdown-it project

Last updated 2026-06-24 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-06-17 21:16 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-24 19:06 UTCUpdated Record last modified

markdown-it project markdown-it UPGRADE

Affected: < 14.2.0

Fixed in: 14.2.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy markdown-it || rpm -q markdown-it || markdown-it --version

2. UPGRADE to 14.2.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade markdown-it

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade markdown-it

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2026-48988?

markdown-it: upgrade to 14.2.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-48988 being exploited?

CVE-2026-48988 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2026-48988 affect?

CVE-2026-48988 affects markdown-it. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.3). markdown-it is a Markdown parser. Versions 14.1.1 and below contain a denial-of-service vulnerability when typographer: true is enabled, due to quadratic (O(n^2)) processing in the smartquotes rule. The issue stems from repeatedly modifying

How urgent is CVE-2026-48988?

Priority 36/100. Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

References

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