Expect, a crucial assertion library often used within testing frameworks like Jest, experienced a notable update from version 21.1.0 to 21.2.0. Examining the changes reveals several key enhancements for developers. The update touches upon dependency management and licensing indicating a push towards enhanced stability and reliability.
One of the most apparent modifications lies in the dependencies. Version 21.2.0 upgraded some of its internal dependencies: jest-diff, jest-get-type, jest-regex-util, jest-message-util, and jest-matcher-utils, all to the latest 21.2.0 version. This suggests bug fixes, performance improvements, or feature additions deep within Expect's assertion capabilities. Developers can anticipate more precise and informative error messages when assertions fail because updated assertion utilities and improved output formatting could have enhanced the jest-diff functionality.
Another subtle yet significant change is the license. The prior version, 21.1.0, used the "BSD-3-Clause" license, while version 21.2.0 adopts the "MIT" license. This license switch might be relevant to developers concerned with license compatibility within larger projects, as the MIT license is often perceived as more permissive. The updated version was released on September 26, 2017, which gave a larger window to the developers to accomodate latest changes and bug fixes, while the 21.1.0 version was released earlier on September 14, 2017. Developers integrating Expect into existing projects should review those aspects when upgrading between those versions.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 21.2.0 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.
Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in braces
A vulnerability was found in Braces versions prior to 2.3.1. Affected versions of this package are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) attacks.
Regular Expression Denial of Service in braces
Versions of braces prior to 2.3.1 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS). Untrusted input may cause catastrophic backtracking while matching regular expressions. This can cause the application to be unresponsive leading to Denial of Service.
Upgrade to version 2.3.1 or higher.
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.
