Awesome Typescript Loader version 3.3.0 and 3.2.3 are both popular choices for integrating TypeScript compilation into Webpack workflows, but a closer look reveals subtle differences. While the core dependencies remain identical (colors, enhanced-resolve, loader-utils, lodash, micromatch, mkdirp, object-assign, and source-map-support ensuring consistent functionality for coloring output, resolving modules, handling loader utilities, and managing source maps), the key distinction lies in their release dates. Version 3.3.0 was released on November 1st, 2017, while version 3.2.3 was released on August 14th, 2017.
Given that no other differences exists, the later release date of version 3.3.0 suggests that it likely incorporates bug fixes, performance improvements, or minor feature enhancements implemented since the release of version 3.2.3. Developers should always prefer using the latest stable version to benefit from these improvements. Both versions share the same development dependencies, including testing frameworks like Chai and Mocha, linting tools like TSLint, and typings for various libraries. Crucially, both specify a peer dependency on Webpack version '~2.7.0', indicating compatibility and a potential requirement to upgrade or downgrade Webpack to ensure optimal performance. The MIT license assures developers of freedom in using and modifying the tool for both personal and commercial projects. The identical repository and author information solidify the continuity and reliable maintenance of the loader.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 3.3.0 of the package
Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in micromatch
The NPM package micromatch prior to version 4.0.8 is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS). The vulnerability occurs in micromatch.braces() in index.js because the pattern .* will greedily match anything. By passing a malicious payload, the pattern matching will keep backtracking to the input while it doesn't find the closing bracket. As the input size increases, the consumption time will also increase until it causes the application to hang or slow down. There was a merged fix but further testing shows the issue persisted prior to https://github.com/micromatch/micromatch/pull/266. This issue should be mitigated by using a safe pattern that won't start backtracking the regular expression due to greedy matching.
Uncontrolled resource consumption in braces
The NPM package braces fails to limit the number of characters it can handle, which could lead to Memory Exhaustion. In lib/parse.js, if a malicious user sends "imbalanced braces" as input, the parsing will enter a loop, which will cause the program to start allocating heap memory without freeing it at any moment of the loop. Eventually, the JavaScript heap limit is reached, and the program will crash.
