Expect version 23.4.0 represents a minor update to the popular assertion library used extensively within the Jest testing framework, building upon the foundation laid by version 23.3.0. While both versions share the same core functionality of providing the expect function for writing expressive tests, there are subtle differences that developers should be aware of.
Key changes reside in the dependencies. Version 23.4.0 updates jest-message-util from version 23.3.0 to 23.4.0. This probably includes improvements to test reporting and error message formatting which are important for developers when debugging failing tests. The other dependencies remain the same, which suggests overall stability and focusing on refinement to the existing functionalities.
Developers should also note the differences in unpackedSize in the dist fields. While not directly impactful for the usage of the library, the significant reduction in the unpacked size of the package, from 1102107 bytes in version 23.3.0 to 574406 bytes in version 23.4.0, suggests potential optimizations in the packaging or included assets that reduce the space ocupied by the installed module. Finally, the releaseDate field indicates that the newer version was released approximately one week after the previous one. This highlights the speed in which the updates are being delivered and how well the library is maintained.
Both versions are licensed under the MIT license and the source code can be found in the same github repository.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 23.4.0 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.
