@babel/runtime is a crucial package for Babel users, providing modular runtime helpers that enable the use of modern JavaScript features in environments that might not natively support them. Comparing versions 7.6.2 and 7.6.0, while seemingly minor, reveals key updates impacting developer workflows. Both versions share the same core function: delivering essential helper functions for compiled Babel code, ensuring compatibility across different JavaScript environments. They both depend on "regenerator-runtime" at the "^0.13.2" level for async/await functionality and include "@babel/helpers" as a dev dependency. The file count and unpacked size remain consistent, indicating a focus on optimization and stability rather than a substantial addition of new features.
The significant difference lies in the "@babel/helpers" devDependency versions. Version 7.6.2 utilizes "@babel/helpers":"^7.6.2", while 7.6.0 utilizes "@babel/helpers":"^7.6.0". This suggests bug fixes and improvements specifically within the helper functions used during Babel compilation. For developers, upgrading to 7.6.2 is recommended to benefit from these refinements in code generation, potentially leading to better performance and fewer runtime errors. The release date difference confirms a rapid update cycle, highlighting Babel's commitment to addressing issues and providing developers with the most polished experience. Staying current with these minor version bumps helps ensure optimal compatibility and access to the latest improvements in the Babel ecosystem.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 7.6.2 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.