ajv (Another JSON Schema Validator) through version 8.17.1 is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) when the $data option is enabled. The pattern keyword accepts runtime data via JSON Pointer syntax ($data reference), which is passed directly to the JavaScript RegExp() constructor without validation. An attacker can inject a malicious regex pattern (e.g., \"^(a|a)*$\") combined with crafted input to cause catastrophic backtracking. A 31-character payload causes approximately 44 seconds of CPU blocking, with each additional character doubling execution time. This enables complete denial of service with a single HTTP request against any API using ajv with $data: true for dynamic schema validation.
{
"nvd_published_at": "2026-02-11T19:15:50Z",
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-02-17T16:38:57Z",
"severity": "MODERATE",
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": true
}