HTTP::Date prior 6.08 parse_date incorrect regex

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in HTTP::Date. Impacted is the function parse_date. The manipulation leads to incorrect regex. This vulnerability is referenced as CVE-2026-14741. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. No exploit is available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in HTTP::Date. It has been rated as problematic. This issue affects the function parse_date. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a incorrect regex vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-185. The product specifies a regular expression in a way that causes data to be improperly matched or compared. Impacted is availability. The summary by CVE is:

HTTP::Date versions before 6.08 for Perl allow CPU exhaustion via polynomial regex backtracking in parse_date. parse_date() matches the date string against a chain of alternative regexes, and str2time() delegates to it. Several of these patterns place unbounded quantifiers next to each other before a trailing `\s*$` anchor. A valid date prefix followed by a long interior run of digits, letters, or whitespace and a single trailing byte that defeats the final match forces the engine to repartition the run, giving polynomial (about quadratic) backtracking. A header value of a few tens of kilobytes runs for tens of seconds of CPU. HTTP::Date parses timestamps such as HTTP `Date`, `Expires`, and `Last-Modified` headers, which commonly originate from untrusted sources. Any caller that passes an untrusted date header to str2time() or parse_date() can be driven to consume unbounded CPU, a denial of service.

It is possible to read the advisory at github.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-14741 since 07/04/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit.

Upgrading to version 6.08 eliminates this vulnerability.

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• HTTP::Date

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CPE 2.2info

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