@babel/runtime version 7.12.0 introduces subtle yet significant improvements over its predecessor, version 7.11.2. Both versions serve as Babel's modular runtime helpers, essential for executing transformed code in environments that lack native support for newer JavaScript features. They share core dependencies like regenerator-runtime for async/await functionality and @babel/helpers for code transformation utilities, ensuring consistent behavior across Babel-compiled code.
The key difference lies in the updated distribution details. Version 7.12.0 boasts an unpacked size of 113026 bytes, a noticeable increase from 7.11.2's 99814 bytes. This suggests potential additions or expansions within the runtime helpers, possibly incorporating new polyfills, refined implementations of existing helpers, or expanded ES module support. The releaseDate also marks a clear update, with 7.12.0 being released on October 14, 2020, while 7.11.2 came out on August 5, 2020. This 2 month gap indicates a period of development and refinement resulting in the newer version. Furthermore, the repository URL in version 7.12.0 is slightly simplified, removing the git+ prefix. While seemingly minor, it contributes to a cleaner configuration. Developers should upgrade to 7.12.0 to leverage the latest optimizations and ensure compatibility with the latest Babel transformations, contributing to more efficient and robust JavaScript applications. Consider reviewing the changelog for detailed insight into the specific enhancements.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 7.12.0 of the package
Babel has inefficient RegExp complexity in generated code with .replace when transpiling named capturing groups
When using Babel to compile regular expression named capturing groups, Babel will generate a polyfill for the .replace method that has quadratic complexity on some specific replacement pattern strings (i.e. the second argument passed to .replace).
Your generated code is vulnerable if all the following conditions are true:
.replace method on a regular expression that contains named capturing groups.replaceIf you are using @babel/preset-env with the targets option, the transform that injects the vulnerable code is automatically enabled if:
You can verify what transforms @babel/preset-env is using by enabling the debug option.
This problem has been fixed in @babel/helpers and @babel/runtime 7.26.10 and 8.0.0-alpha.17, please upgrade. It's likely that you do not directly depend on @babel/helpers, and instead you depend on @babel/core (which itself depends on @babel/helpers). Upgrading to @babel/core 7.26.10 is not required, but it guarantees that you are on a new enough @babel/helpers version.
Please note that just updating your Babel dependencies is not enough: you will also need to re-compile your code.
If you are passing user-provided strings as the second argument of .replace on regular expressions that contain named capturing groups, validate the input and make sure it does not contain the substring $< if it's then not followed by > (possibly with other characters in between).
This vulnerability was reported and fixed in https://github.com/babel/babel/pull/17173.