vLLM: ReDoS via structured_outputs.regex compiled without timeout in xgrammar and outlines backends
Summary
The structured_outputs.regex API parameter passes a user-supplied regex string directly to grammar compiler backends with no compilation timeout. In the xgrammar backend, the string reaches compile_regex() with no guard. In the outlines backend, validate_regex_is_buildable() blocks structural issues (lookarounds, backreferences) but provides zero protection against exponential DFA state-space explosion. Patterns like (a+)+b pass all checks and hang the inference worker.
Root Cause
backend_xgrammar.py:91 — no timeout:
ctx = self.compiler.compile_regex(grammar_spec)
backend_outlines.py:299–330 — structural checks only, no complexity analysis:
def validate_regex_is_buildable(regex: str) -> None:
sre_parse.parse(regex) # AST parse only — does not detect exponential patterns
_check_unsupported(...) # blocks lookarounds/backrefs, not nested quantifiers
backend_outlines.py:64 — no timeout:
oc.Index(regex_string, vocabulary.inner)
Impact
Denial of service — one request with an adversarial regex pattern hangs an inference worker indefinitely.
Remediation
Wrap compile_regex() and oc.Index() calls in a thread with a deadline (e.g., 5 seconds). Add complexity analysis to validate_regex_is_buildable() to detect nested quantifier patterns before compilation.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | vllm | < 0.24.0 | 0.24.0 |
References
- https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/security/advisories/GHSA-rwxx-mrjm-wc2m
- https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/commit/2b3006076c5e9bc4cda9e03e3641388de3c5c286
- https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/pull/45118
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-55574
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/vllm/PYSEC-2026-2304.yaml
- https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-1333- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
vllm- Disclosed
- 06.07.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-2304 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-rwxx-mrjm-wc2m - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: vllm
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 94
- First → latest
- 09.2024 10.2026
- Without a fix
- 5
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 9
- High 23
- Medium 47
- Low 4
- Unrated 11
Disclosures per year
- 2024: 2
- 2025: 30
- 2026: 62
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