Babel plugin transform ES2015 modules to CommonJS, version 6.0.12, introduces several notable enhancements over the previous stable version, 6.0.2. Both versions share the same core functionality of converting ES2015 module syntax (import/export) into CommonJS format, enabling compatibility with older JavaScript environments like Node.js. They are licensed under MIT, and the code lives in the babel repository on GitHub.
However, version 6.0.12 incorporates crucial updates in its dependencies. Specifically, it upgrades babel-types, babel-runtime, and babel-template to version 6.0.12 from 6.0.2. Furthermore, it introduces a new dependency, babel-plugin-transform-strict-mode at version 6.0.2. This suggests that 6.0.12 likely addresses bug fixes, performance improvements, or compatibility adjustments related to those core Babel modules. The addition of babel-plugin-transform-strict-mode indicates that it enforces strict mode in the transformed CommonJS modules, which improves code quality.
Developers choosing between these versions should consider the implications of these dependency updates. If the project relies on specific behaviors or bug fixes present in the newer Babel core modules included in 6.0.12, or requires automatic strict mode enforcement, upgrading is recommended. If the project is stable and relies on the specific behaviors in babel 6.0.2, and strict mode control is desired in a more hands-on approach, staying on 6.0.2 is viable. Evaluating the change log in the babel repository is recommended for complete details about the significance of version 6.0.12.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 6.0.12 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