CVE-2026-13397 HTML::Bare versions through 0.04 for Perl will hang in an infinite loop when parsing malformed attributes
An attacker can cause a denial of service by providing malformed HTML attributes that trigger an infinite loop in the HTML::Bare Perl parser.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-13397?
CVE-2026-13397 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in CODECHILD HTML::Bare, published on 16 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
HTML::Bare versions through 0.04 for Perl will hang in an infinite loop when parsing malformed attributes.
The parserc_parse function never advances the attribute-parse state cursor on certain malformed attribute forms, looping forever.
Nameless attributes such as "<a ='c'>" or unbalanced quotes "<a b='''''''c'>" can trigger this condition.
Note that the latest version available on CPAN is version 0.02. Newer versions are available on the git repository.
Weakness: CWE-835
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-13397?
How do I fix CVE-2026-13397?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-13397 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-13397 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-13397 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-xfxg-9rjg-hqrw.