---
id: "CVE-2026-116693"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-116693", "GHSA-x94g-w73q-hpcw"]
title: "dd-trace: ReDOS in URL query string obfuscation"
severity: "high"
cvss: 8.7
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "dd-trace", "fixed": ["5.131.1"], "affected": ">= 2.0.0, < 5.131.1", "ecosystem": "npm"}, {"name": "dd-trace", "fixed": ["6.20.1"], "affected": ">= 6.0.0, < 6.20.1", "ecosystem": "npm"}]
ecosystems: ["npm"]
tags: ["apm", "cwe-1333", "datadog", "dd-trace", "node.js", "npm", "package", "self-hosted"]
not_affected_if: ["no-http-tracing", "patched-version"]
published_at: "2026-10-27T21:07:25+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-27T21:09:20+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-27T21:29:21+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "ghsa", "url": "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-x94g-w73q-hpcw", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-27T21:09:20+00:00"}, {"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-116693", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-27T21:29:21+00:00"}]
---

# dd-trace: ReDOS in URL query string obfuscation

dd-trace is Datadog's Node.js tracing library, and its default regex that obfuscates URL query strings can backtrack excessively on crafted input. An attacker who sends such requests can drive CPU use up and make the application slow or unavailable.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## Affected

- npm:dd-trace affected >= 2.0.0, < 5.131.1 fixed 5.131.1
- npm:dd-trace affected >= 6.0.0, < 6.20.1 fixed 6.20.1

## How to check

- Run `npm ls dd-trace` in each Node.js project to find the installed version.
- Check whether `DD_TRACE_OBFUSCATION_QUERY_STRING_REGEXP` is set in the environment or deployment config.
- Confirm the application uses the dd-trace HTTP integration, which records URL query strings in span tags.

## Fix

- Upgrade dd-trace to `5.131.1` on the 5.x line, or to `6.20.1` on the 6.x line.
- As a workaround, set `DD_TRACE_OBFUSCATION_QUERY_STRING_REGEXP` to the fixed regex from the advisory and restart the application.

## Timeline

- 2026-10-27T21:09:20+00:00 ghsa https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-x94g-w73q-hpcw
- 2026-10-27T21:29:21+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-116693

## From the sources

### Summary

A regular expression used to obfuscate URL query strings can consume excessive CPU when processing certain attacker-controlled input. This can stall request processing and cause denial of service in applications using affected HTTP tracing integrations.

### Details

The default query-string obfuscation pattern can exhibit excessive backtracking. The pattern is applied synchronously when recording HTTP URL metadata, allowing query-string processing to occupy application resources for an extended period.

As a workaround, set DD_TRACE_OBFUSCATION_QUERY_STRING_REGEXP to the fixed regex below, then restart the application.

```
DD_TRACE_OBFUSCATION_QUERY_STRING_REGEXP='(?:(?:"|%22)?)(?:(?:old[-_]?|new[-_]?)?p(?:ass)?w(?:or)?d(?:1|2)?|pass(?:[-_]?phrase)?|secret|(?:api[-_]?|private[-_]?|public[-_]?|access[-_]?|secret[-_]?|app(?:lication)?[-_]?)key(?:[-_]?id)?|token|consumer[-_]?(?:id|key|secret)|sign(?:ed|ature)?|auth(?:entication|orization)?)(?:(?:\s|%20)*(?:=|%3D)[^&]+|(?:"|%22)(?:\s|%20)*(?::|%3A)(?:\s|%20)*(?:"|%22)(?:%2[^2]|%[^2]|[^"%])+(?:"|%22))|(?:bearer(?:\s|%20)+[a-z0-9._\-]+|token(?::|%3A)[a-z0-9]{13}|gh[opsu]_[0-9a-zA-Z]{36}|(?:(?<![\w-])|(?<=%[0-9a-f]{2}))ey[I-L][\w-]+(?:=|%3D)*\.ey[I-L][\w-]+(?:=|%3D)*(?:\.(?:[\w.+/=-]|%3D|%2F|%2B)+)?|-{5}BEGIN(?:[a-z\s]|%20)+PRIVATE(?:\s|%20)KEY-{5}[^\-]+-{5}END(?:[a-z\s]|%20)+PRIVATE(?:\s|%20)KEY(?:-{5})?(?:\n|%0A)?|(?:ssh-(?:rsa|dss)|ecdsa-[a-z0-9]+-[a-z0-9]+)(?:\s|%20|%09)+(?:[a-z0-9/.+]|%2F|%5C|%2B){100,}(?:=|%3D)*(?:(?:\s|%20|%09)+[a-z0-9._-]+)?)'
```

### Proof of concept

Detailed triggering inputs and reproduction steps are omitted from this advisory. The patched version includes regression coverage for the affected behavior.

### Impact

Regular expression denial of service (ReDoS) affecting applications that process attacker-controlled URL query strings through the vulnerable obfuscation pattern. Successful exploitation can cause excessive CPU consumption, prolonged request latency, and service unavailability.

The vulnerable processing is enabled by default for affected HTTP integrations that include query strings in URL span tags.

---

_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_