CVE-2026-110688: Cpanel::JSON::XS versions from 4.51 before 4.80 for Perl allow quadratic CPU use by revalidating the remaining buffer per value in incr_parse

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-10-19 · updated 2026-10-29
Weakness: CWE-407

Description

Cpanel::JSON::XS versions from 4.51 before 4.80 for Perl allow quadratic CPU use by revalidating the remaining buffer per value in incr_parse. At the first non-ASCII byte in a string, the decoder validates UTF-8 from there to the end of its input. incr_parse decodes each buffered value with a fresh decoder, so every value revalidates the rest of the buffer, and doubling the input quadruples the work. A peer that sends about a megabyte of ordinary non-ASCII JSON in one read ties up the process for seconds of CPU time.

Affected products

Cpanel-JSON-XS: from 4.51 before 4.80 — fixed in 4.80

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Cpanel-JSON-XS 4.80. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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