FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.8.0_92"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_92-b14)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.92-b14, mixed mode)


ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.10586]

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
The simple pattern "^(([\\w\\-_]*)\\:?([\\w\\-_]*))*$" applied to "hubManagementFilter:hubTablePanelExpansion:0.0:_t25" does not seem to terminate, or takes extremely long.

The pattern does not seem too extreme. And I run into a problem when using it with JSF iceFaces.



STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
Just run this program:

public static void main(String[] args) {

long start = System.currentTimeMillis();

Pattern p = Pattern.compile("^(([\\w\\-_]*)\\:?([\\w\\-_]*))*$");

Matcher m = p.matcher("hubManagementFilter:hubTablePanelExpansion:0.0:_t25");

boolean matches = m.matches();

long end = System.currentTimeMillis();

System.out.println("String matches: " + matches + " in " + (end-start) + " millis");
}


EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
Termination in a reasonable time.
ACTUAL -
Not terminating

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
package at.arctis.javatests;

import java.util.regex.Matcher;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class PatternTests {

public static void main(String[] args) {

long start = System.currentTimeMillis();

Pattern p = Pattern.compile("^(([\\w\\-_]*)\\:?([\\w\\-_]*))*$");

Matcher m = p.matcher("hubManagementFilter:hubTablePanelExpansion:0.0:_t25");

boolean matches = m.matches();

long end = System.currentTimeMillis();

System.out.println("String matches: " + matches + " in " + (end-start) + " millis");
}

}

---------- END SOURCE ----------

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
Choose shorter identifiers in JSF-Application