Babel plugin transform async to generator, a crucial tool for developers targeting older JavaScript environments, enables the use of async/await syntax by converting asynchronous functions into ES2015 generator functions. Examining versions 6.1.5 and 6.1.10 reveals subtle yet important updates. Both versions share a core purpose: bridging the gap between modern asynchronous coding practices and compatibility with JavaScript engines that don't natively support async/await. They depend on the same core dependencies like babel-helper-remap-async-to-generator, babel-plugin-syntax-async-functions, and babel-runtime with compatible version ranges suggesting similar core functionality. The devDependencies also uses babel-helper-plugin-test-runner with compatible version.
The primary difference lies in the incremented version numbers and potentially bug fixes or minor enhancements implemented between these releases. Developers should note the release dates: both were released on the same day, indicating a quick follow up, which implies that 6.1.10 might address immediate issues found in 6.1.5. When choosing between the two, opting for the newer version (6.1.10) is generally advisable, as it likely incorporates stability improvements and refinements without introducing breaking changes given the minor version bump. The MIT license ensures freedom in using and distributing the plugin. If encountering issues with async function transformation, consulting the Babel repository on GitHub provides access to comprehensive documentation and community support.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 6.1.10 of the package
Babel vulnerable to arbitrary code execution when compiling specifically crafted malicious code
Using Babel to compile code that was specifically crafted by an attacker can lead to arbitrary code execution during compilation, when using plugins that rely on the path.evaluate()or path.evaluateTruthy() internal Babel methods.
Known affected plugins are:
@babel/plugin-transform-runtime@babel/preset-env when using its useBuiltIns option@babel/helper-define-polyfill-provider, such as babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs3, babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs2, babel-plugin-polyfill-es-shims, babel-plugin-polyfill-regeneratorNo other plugins under the @babel/ namespace are impacted, but third-party plugins might be.
Users that only compile trusted code are not impacted.
The vulnerability has been fixed in @babel/traverse@7.23.2.
Babel 6 does not receive security fixes anymore (see Babel's security policy), hence there is no patch planned for babel-traverse@6.
@babel/traverse to v7.23.2 or higher. You can do this by deleting it from your package manager's lockfile and re-installing the dependencies. @babel/core >=7.23.2 will automatically pull in a non-vulnerable version.@babel/traverse and are using one of the affected packages mentioned above, upgrade them to their latest version to avoid triggering the vulnerable code path in affected @babel/traverse versions:
@babel/plugin-transform-runtime v7.23.2@babel/preset-env v7.23.2@babel/helper-define-polyfill-provider v0.4.3babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs2 v0.4.6babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs3 v0.8.5babel-plugin-polyfill-es-shims v0.10.0babel-plugin-polyfill-regenerator v0.5.3