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smol-toml: Quadratic-time parse() from parseKey rescanning to end of document on each key line

Type: advisorySource: OSV1 source record

### Summary `parse()` has a quadratic-time path in `parseKey`, reachable on default options with ordinary valid input. For every key line and table-header line, `parseKey` (dist/struct.js, lines 58 and 86) finds the dotted-key separator with `ctx.s.indexOf('.', ctx.p)`, where `ctx.s` is the whole document. When a key has no `.` ahead of it, that search runs all the way to the end of the input, and the result is then clamped back to the line terminator `endPtr` - so everything scanned past the current line is wasted. `parseKey` runs once per line, so a document of N dot-free keys costs O(n^2). The most ordinary TOML shape triggers it: a flat list of `key = value` lines, or a repeated `[[a]]` table. No dotted keys, no special options, valid input throughout. ### Proof of concept ```js import { parse } from 'smol-toml' let doc = '' for (let i = 0; i < 256000; i++) doc += 'k' + i + ' = 1\n' console.time('parse') parse(doc) // ~2.8 MB of valid TOML, default options console.timeEnd('parse') ``` Doubling the line count roughly quadruples the time: | lines | size | parse() | |---|---|---| | 32k | 0.3 MB | 0.3 s | | 64k | 0.7 MB | 1.0 s | | 128k | 1.4 MB | 3.5 s | | 256k | 2.8 MB | 14 s | ### Impact Any service that runs `parse()` on attacker-supplied TOML can be stalled. The work is synchronous, so it blocks the whole event loop, and the quadratic is unbounded: a ~7 MB body pins a core for about a minute, larger bodies for several. ### Patches Version 1.9.0 uses a different implement

Announced Source revision 1
Original source ↗

GHSA-r4xh-jqrq-34v2

Primary source · Revision 1

Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.

Security context

Source reference: osv:GHSA-r4xh-jqrq-34v2

smol-toml

Source reference: /affected/0/package/name

Affected versions
Not stated in this record
Fixed versions
1.9.0

Source reference: /affected/0/ranges

Prerequisites
Not stated in this record

Structured affected-version data

Original package identities and version rules from this source.

[
  {
    "ranges": [
      {
        "type": "SEMVER",
        "events": [
          {
            "introduced": "0"
          },
          {
            "fixed": "1.9.0"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "package": {
      "name": "smol-toml",
      "purl": "pkg:npm/smol-toml",
      "ecosystem": "npm"
    },
    "database_specific": {
      "source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r4xh-jqrq-34v2/GHSA-r4xh-jqrq-34v2.json",
      "last_known_affected_version_range": "<= 1.8.0"
    }
  }
]

Publisher severity

medium

Source reference: /severity/0/score

Event
#85957 · Revision 1
Added to Heist Feed
Publisher date
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