@babel/runtime version 7.23.2 is a minor update to Babel's modular runtime helpers, building upon the previous stable release, 7.23.1. Both versions provide essential runtime support for compiled Babel code, enabling developers to leverage modern JavaScript features in environments that may not natively support them. They share the same core dependency, regenerator-runtime, ensuring compatibility with asynchronous functions and generator-based code. The license remains MIT, a permissive open-source license, offering flexibility for developers to integrate the library into various projects.
While the primary functionality remains consistent, subtle differences exist. Developers might notice a slight decrease in the unpacked size of the package from 247674 bytes in 7.23.1 to 247056 bytes in 7.23.2, potentially indicating minor optimizations or adjustments in the included files. The later release date, October 11, 2023, compared to September 25, 2023, signifies that 7.23.2 incorporates the latest bug fixes, performance enhancements, and potentially new helper functions.
For developers, upgrading to version 7.23.2 is generally recommended to maintain access to the most recent improvements and ensure continued compatibility with the broader Babel ecosystem. Detailed changelogs available on the Babel GitHub repository provide comprehensive information on specific changes and their potential impact on existing codebases. This package is crucial for those aiming to support older browsers or environments while using cutting-edge Javascript syntax.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 7.23.2 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.