What is CVE-2021-4299?

CVE-2021-4299 is a high-severity inefficient regular expression (ReDoS) vulnerability in string-kit (npm), affecting versions < 0.12.8. It is fixed in 0.12.8. A regular expression with worst-case exponential or polynomial matching time is applied to untrusted input, causing excessive CPU use.

How severe is CVE-2021-4299?

CVE-2021-4299 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of string-kit are affected by CVE-2021-4299?

string-kit (npm) versions < 0.12.8 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-4299?

Yes. CVE-2021-4299 is fixed in 0.12.8. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2021-4299 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-4299 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2021-4299 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2021-4299 in string-kit

Q: How severe is CVE-2021-4299?

CVE-2021-4299 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of string-kit are affected by CVE-2021-4299?

string-kit (npm) versions < 0.12.8 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2021-4299?

Yes. CVE-2021-4299 is fixed in 0.12.8. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2021-4299 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-4299 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2021-4299 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2021-4299?

Upgrade string-kit to 0.12.8 or later.

Summary

string-kit Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity vulnerability

A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in cronvel string-kit up to 0.12.7. This vulnerability affects the function naturalSort of the file lib/naturalSort.js. The manipulation leads to inefficient regular expression complexity. The attack can be initiated remotely. Upgrading to version 0.12.8 can address this issue. The name of the patch is 9cac4c298ee92c1695b0695951f1488884a7ca73. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-217180.

Impact

A regular expression with worst-case exponential or polynomial matching time is applied to untrusted input, causing excessive CPU use. Typical impact: denial of service when input is crafted to trigger backtracking.

CVE-2021-4299 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.12.8); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

string-kit (< 0.12.8)

Security releases

string-kit → 0.12.8 (npm)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade string-kit to 0.12.8 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-4299? CVE-2021-4299 is a high-severity inefficient regular expression (ReDoS) vulnerability in string-kit (npm), affecting versions < 0.12.8. It is fixed in 0.12.8. A regular expression with worst-case exponential or polynomial matching time is applied to untrusted input, causing excessive CPU use.
How severe is CVE-2021-4299? CVE-2021-4299 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of string-kit are affected by CVE-2021-4299? string-kit (npm) versions < 0.12.8 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-4299? Yes. CVE-2021-4299 is fixed in 0.12.8. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2021-4299 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-4299 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2021-4299 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2021-4299? Upgrade string-kit to 0.12.8 or later.