gh-160316: Make re.Pattern.match() return None when pos > endpos (GH-160317)

gh-160316: Make re.Pattern.match() return None when pos > endpos

Pattern.match(), prefixmatch(), fullmatch() and the scanner match() ran
the engine with the start position past the end position, which could
return an empty match or read past the end of the string.

ANT-2026-NMTUWIC8

Author: gpshead

Lib/test/test_re.py

@@ -2428,6 +2428,25 @@ def test_keyword_parameters(self):
             pat.scanner(string='abracadabra', pos=3, endpos=10).search().span(),
             (7, 9))
 
+    def test_pos_greater_than_endpos(self):
+        # If endpos is less than pos, no match will be found.
+        for pattern in ['', r'$', r'^$', r'\b$', r'(?:x|$)']:
+            for string in ['abc\n', b'abc\n', bytearray(b'abc\n')]:
+                with self.subTest(pattern=pattern, string=string):
+                    if isinstance(string, str):
+                        p = re.compile(pattern, re.MULTILINE)
+                    else:
+                        p = re.compile(pattern.encode(), re.MULTILINE)
+                    for pos, endpos in [(3, 0), (4, 0), (4, 3), (2, 1)]:
+                        self.assertIsNone(p.match(string, pos, endpos))
+                        self.assertIsNone(p.fullmatch(string, pos, endpos))
+                        self.assertIsNone(p.search(string, pos, endpos))
+                        self.assertIsNone(
+                            p.scanner(string, pos, endpos).match())
+                        self.assertIsNone(
+                            p.scanner(string, pos, endpos).search())
+                        self.assertEqual(p.findall(string, pos, endpos), [])
+
     def test_bug_20998(self):
         # Issue #20998: Fullmatch of repeated single character pattern
         # with ignore case.

Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-10-22-08-17-51.gh-issue-160316.sRe9pQ.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+Fix :meth:`re.Pattern.match`, :meth:`re.Pattern.prefixmatch`,
+:meth:`re.Pattern.fullmatch` and the ``match()`` and ``prefixmatch()`` methods
+of scanner objects returning an empty match, or reading past the end of the
+string, when *pos* is greater than *endpos*.  They now return ``None``, as
+documented.

Modules/_sre/sre.c

@@ -899,6 +899,10 @@ pattern_dealloc(PyObject *self)
 LOCAL(Py_ssize_t)
 sre_match(SRE_STATE* state, SRE_CODE* pattern)
 {
+    /* No match if pos > endpos. */
+    if (state->ptr > state->end) {
+        return 0;
+    }
     if (state->charsize == 1)
         return sre_ucs1_match(state, pattern, 1);
     if (state->charsize == 2)