Qs is a popular npm package for parsing and stringifying URL query strings with support for nested objects and arrays. Comparing versions 6.5.0 and 6.4.1 reveals significant shifts in the development ecosystem and dependency landscape. While both versions share the same core functionality and BSD-3-Clause license, their tooling differs considerably. Version 6.5.0, released in mid-2017, relies on older tools like tape (v4.7.0), eslint (v3.19.0), and browserify (v14.4.0). In contrast, version 6.4.1, a much later release from early 2022, embraces newer iterations of these tools, including tape (v5.4.0), eslint (v8.6.0), and browserify (v16.5.2).
Developers should note the updated linting configurations, now using @ljharb/eslint-config at version 20.1.0, suggesting a stronger emphasis on code quality and modern JavaScript standards in the newer version. The introduction of tools like nyc for test coverage, aud for auditing dependencies, and in-publish for streamlining the publishing process in 6.4.1 showcases a more mature and robust development pipeline. Furthermore, the presence of safer-buffer in 6.4.1 highlights an awareness of potential security vulnerabilities and a commitment to addressing them. Given these substantial changes, especially in dependencies and security practices, developers are generally advised to use the later version (6.4.1) for improved stability and security.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 6.5.0 of the package
qs vulnerable to Prototype Pollution
qs before 6.10.3 allows attackers to cause a Node process hang because an __ proto__ key can be used. In many typical web framework use cases, an unauthenticated remote attacker can place the attack payload in the query string of the URL that is used to visit the application, such as a[__proto__]=b&a[__proto__]&a[length]=100000000. The fix was backported to qs 6.9.7, 6.8.3, 6.7.3, 6.6.1, 6.5.3, 6.4.1, 6.3.3, and 6.2.4.
