diff --git a/buildtools/re2/cre2.patch b/buildtools/re2/cre2.patch
index 8f609e34fc73..8ef08f3c16eb 100644
--- a/buildtools/re2/cre2.patch
+++ b/buildtools/re2/cre2.patch
@@ -1,8 +1,36 @@
 diff --git a/src/cre2.cpp b/src/cre2.cpp
-index 5a63b93..12bc2ed 100644
+index 5a63b93..54152ff 100644
 --- a/src/cre2.cpp
 +++ b/src/cre2.cpp
-@@ -462,7 +462,6 @@ DEFINE_MATCH_REX_FUN2(cre2_find_and_consume_re,FindAndConsumeN)
+@@ -288,6 +288,27 @@ cre2_match (const cre2_regexp_t *re , const char *text,
+   }
+   return (retval)? 1 : 0;
+ }
++
++int
++cre2_match8 (const cre2_regexp_t *re , const char *text,
++            int textlen, int startpos, int endpos, cre2_anchor_t anchor,
++            cre2_string_t *match, int nmatch)
++{
++  re2::StringPiece	text_re2(text, textlen);
++  re2::StringPiece match_re2[8];
++  RE2::Anchor		anchor_re2 = to_cre2_anchor(anchor);
++  bool			retval; // 0 for no match
++  // 1 for successful matching
++  retval = TO_CONST_RE2(re)->Match(text_re2, startpos, endpos, anchor_re2, match_re2, 8);
++  if (retval) {
++    for (int i=0; i<8; i++) {
++      match[i].data   = match_re2[i].data();
++      match[i].length = match_re2[i].length();
++    }
++  }
++  return (retval)? 1 : 0;
++}
++
+ int
+ cre2_easy_match (const char * pattern, int pattern_len,
+ 		 const char *text, int text_len,
+@@ -462,7 +483,6 @@ DEFINE_MATCH_REX_FUN2(cre2_find_and_consume_re,FindAndConsumeN)
  int
  cre2_replace (const char * pattern, cre2_string_t * text_and_target, cre2_string_t * rewrite)
  {
@@ -10,7 +38,7 @@ index 5a63b93..12bc2ed 100644
      std::string		S(text_and_target->data, text_and_target->length);
      re2::StringPiece	R(rewrite->data, rewrite->length);
      char *		buffer; /* this exists to make GCC shut up about const */
-@@ -477,12 +476,6 @@ cre2_replace (const char * pattern, cre2_string_t * text_and_target, cre2_string
+@@ -477,12 +497,6 @@ cre2_replace (const char * pattern, cre2_string_t * text_and_target, cre2_string
      } else
        return -1;
      return int(retval);
@@ -23,3 +51,19 @@ index 5a63b93..12bc2ed 100644
  }
  int
  cre2_replace_re (cre2_regexp_t * rex, cre2_string_t * text_and_target, cre2_string_t * rewrite)
+diff --git a/src/cre2.h b/src/cre2.h
+index 92eaf65..a34051f 100644
+--- a/src/cre2.h
++++ b/src/cre2.h
+@@ -160,6 +160,11 @@ cre2_decl int cre2_match	(const cre2_regexp_t * re,
+ 				 int startpos, int endpos, cre2_anchor_t anchor,
+ 				 cre2_string_t * match, int nmatch);
+ 
++cre2_decl int cre2_match8	(const cre2_regexp_t * re,
++                             const char * text, int textlen,
++                             int startpos, int endpos, cre2_anchor_t anchor,
++                             cre2_string_t * match, int nmatch);
++
+ cre2_decl int cre2_easy_match	(const char * pattern, int pattern_len,
+ 				 const char * text, int text_len,
+ 				 cre2_string_t * match, int nmatch);
diff --git a/internal/operators/rx.go b/internal/operators/rx.go
index 5f5052095a4d..791f2ce0a186 100644
--- a/internal/operators/rx.go
+++ b/internal/operators/rx.go
@@ -26,16 +26,9 @@ func (o *rx) Init(options coraza.RuleOperatorOptions) error {
 }
 
 func (o *rx) Evaluate(tx *coraza.Transaction, value string) bool {
-	matches := o.re.FindStringSubmatch(value, 8)
-	if len(matches) == 0 {
-		return false
-	}
-
-	if tx.Capture {
-		for i, c := range matches {
-			tx.CaptureField(i, c)
+	return o.re.FindStringSubmatch8(value, func(i int, match string) {
+		if tx.Capture {
+			tx.CaptureField(i, match)
 		}
-	}
-
-	return true
+	})
 }
diff --git a/internal/re2/re2.go b/internal/re2/re2.go
index 44a1c79154d5..b96e4d98bf2b 100644
--- a/internal/re2/re2.go
+++ b/internal/re2/re2.go
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ func cre2Delete(rePtr unsafe.Pointer)
 func cre2Match(rePtr unsafe.Pointer, textPtr unsafe.Pointer, textLen uint32, startPos uint32, endPos uint32,
 	anchor uint32, matchArrPtr unsafe.Pointer, nmatch uint32) uint32
 
+//export cre2_match8
+func cre2Match8(rePtr unsafe.Pointer, textPtr unsafe.Pointer, textLen uint32, startPos uint32, endPos uint32,
+	anchor uint32, matchArrPtr unsafe.Pointer, nmatch uint32) uint32
+
 type RegExp struct {
 	ptr unsafe.Pointer
 }
@@ -33,14 +37,14 @@ func Compile(pattern string) (RegExp, error) {
 	return RegExp{ptr: rePtr}, nil
 }
 
-func (re RegExp) FindStringSubmatch(text string, n int) []string {
+func (re RegExp) FindStringSubmatch8(text string, f func(int, string)) bool {
 	sh := (*reflect.StringHeader)(unsafe.Pointer(&text))
 	// Array of cre2_string_t, which is const char* and int, easiest way to get it is an array of ints.
-	matchArr := make([]uint32, 2*n)
+	var matchArr [16]uint32
 	matchArrPtr := unsafe.Pointer(&matchArr[0])
-	res := cre2Match(re.ptr, unsafe.Pointer(sh.Data), uint32(sh.Len), 0, uint32(sh.Len), 0, matchArrPtr, uint32(n))
+	res := cre2Match8(re.ptr, unsafe.Pointer(sh.Data), uint32(sh.Len), 0, uint32(sh.Len), 0, matchArrPtr, 8)
 	if res == 0 {
-		return nil
+		return false
 	}
 
 	// Pointer math! re2 will return matches which are memory pointers into memory corresponding to text.
@@ -48,8 +52,7 @@ func (re RegExp) FindStringSubmatch(text string, n int) []string {
 	// pointers directly.
 	textPtr := uint32(sh.Data)
 
-	var matches []string
-	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+	for i := 0; i < 8; i++ {
 		sPtr := matchArr[2*i]
 		if sPtr == 0 {
 			break
@@ -57,7 +60,8 @@ func (re RegExp) FindStringSubmatch(text string, n int) []string {
 		sLen := matchArr[2*i+1]
 
 		textIdx := sPtr - textPtr
-		matches = append(matches, text[textIdx:textIdx+sLen])
+		f(i, text[textIdx:textIdx+sLen])
 	}
-	return matches
+
+	return true
 }
diff --git a/lib/libcre2.a b/lib/libcre2.a
index ebe1cfd0ec61..d06e68a31e57 100644
Binary files a/lib/libcre2.a and b/lib/libcre2.a differ