Babel Preset Stage 3 streamlines the process of using JavaScript features that are currently in Stage 3 of the TC39 standardization process, indicating they are nearing final approval and widespread adoption. Comparing version 6.5.0 with the previous 6.3.13, the core functionality remains consistent; both versions are designed to include plugins like babel-plugin-transform-async-to-generator and babel-plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator, which enable developers to use async/await syntax and the exponentiation operator (**) in their code, respectively, even if their target JavaScript environment doesn't natively support them.
The key difference lies in the release date and potentially some internal updates or bug fixes not explicitly detailed in the metadata provided. Version 6.5.0 was released in February 2016, while 6.3.13 came out in December 2015. Developers should opt for the newer 6.5.0 to benefit from any improvements or patches implemented in the intervening months, contributing to greater stability and compatibility. For users already on 6.3.13, upgrading to 6.5.0 is generally recommended to ensure they are running the most up-to-date and potentially more reliable version of the preset. This preset provides a convenient way to incorporate emerging JavaScript features into projects while maintaining compatibility with older environments, enhancing developer productivity and code modernization efforts.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 6.5.0 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