---
id: "CVE-2026-124078"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-124078"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-124078"]
title: "plist npm package: crafted binary plist causes exponential memory use and crash"
severity: "high"
cvss: 8.7
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["node.js", "npm", "package", "plist"]
not_affected_if: ["no-untrusted-input", "xml-only-parsing"]
published_at: "2026-11-06T21:17:08+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-06T21:45:07+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-06T21:46:34+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-124078", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-06T21:45:07+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# plist npm package: crafted binary plist causes exponential memory use and crash

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-124078 (this .md is for agents)

The plist npm package before 5.0.1 has an uncontrolled resource consumption flaw in its binary property-list parser. A small crafted binary plist with chained self-referencing object indices triggers exponential resolution, exhausting memory and crashing the Node.js process.

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

## How to check

- Check the installed version with `npm ls plist` in each project and look for any version below `5.0.1`.
- Find places where the app parses binary plist input from untrusted sources by searching for `parseBinary` or `require('plist')`.

## Fix

- `plist` (npm) before `5.0.1`: move to `5.0.1` or later.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-06T21:45:07+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-124078

## Documents

- [advisory] Third-party advisory: www.vulncheck.com https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/plist-js-before-uncontrolled-resource-consumption-via-binary-parser
- [fix] Patch: github.com https://github.com/TooTallNate/plist.js/commit/ac871e67aa0b0440da50bf40d58c6deddce9d8c1
- [fix] Release notes: github.com https://github.com/TooTallNate/plist.js/releases/tag/plist%405.0.1

## From the sources

plist.js (npm package 'plist') before 5.0.1 contains an uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in the binary property-list parser (parseBinary) that allows unauthenticated attackers to crash a Node.js process by exploiting unmemoized recursive resolution of shared object references for arrays and dictionaries. Attackers can craft a small binary plist (under 200 bytes) containing chained self-referencing object indices to trigger exponential (2^N) resolution calls and memory growth, causing an unrecoverable out-of-memory crash and denial of service.

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