Summary
angular vulnerable to super-linear runtime due to backtracking
This affects versions of the package angular from 1.3.0. A regular expression used to split the value of the ng-srcset directive is vulnerable to super-linear runtime due to backtracking. With a large carefully-crafted input, this can result in catastrophic backtracking and cause a denial of service.
Note:
This package is EOL and will not receive any updates to address this issue. Users should migrate to @angular/core.
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-2024-21490 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. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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In the interim: Rewrite the regular expression to avoid ambiguous repetition, or use a linear-time regex engine.
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-21490? CVE-2024-21490 is a high-severity inefficient regular expression (ReDoS) vulnerability in angular (npm), affecting versions >= 1.3.0, <= 1.8.3. No fixed version is listed yet. A regular expression with worst-case exponential or polynomial matching time is applied to untrusted input, causing excessive CPU use.
- How severe is CVE-2024-21490? CVE-2024-21490 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 packages are affected by CVE-2024-21490?
angular(npm) (versions >= 1.3.0, <= 1.8.3)org.webjars.npm:angular(maven) (versions >= 1.3.0, <= 1.8.3)org.webjars.bower:angular(maven) (versions >= 1.3.0, <= 1.8.3)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-21490? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2024-21490 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2024-21490 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-21490 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-2024-21490 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-2024-21490? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Rewrite the regular expression to avoid ambiguous repetition, or use a linear-time regex engine.