# CVE-2026-33750: brace-expansion: Zero-step sequence causes process hang and memory exhaustion

CVE-2026-33750 is fixed in node-brace-expansion on 1 platform by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-33750 (version 2.0.3+~1.1.2-1), released March 27, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33750
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.5 (Moderate)
- EPSS: 0.0045
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Mar 27, 2026
- Weakness: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
- Vendor advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-33750

## Description

The brace-expansion library generates arbitrary strings containing a common prefix and suffix. Prior to versions 5.0.5, 3.0.2, 2.0.3, and 1.1.13, a brace pattern with a zero step value (e.g., `{1..2..0}`) causes the sequence generation loop to run indefinitely, making the process hang for seconds and allocate heaps of memory. Versions 5.0.5, 3.0.2, 2.0.3, and 1.1.13 fix the issue. As a workaround, sanitize strings passed to `expand()` to ensure a step value of `0` is not used.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | node-brace-expansion Debian 14 | 2.0.3+~1.1.2-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-33750](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-33750.md) | Mar 27, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-09T07:25:28Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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