TimeSpan is a JavaScript library designed for Node.js, enabling developers to easily work with and manipulate time intervals. Version 2.3.0 arrived on October 8, 2013, showcasing a notable update from the earlier 2.2.0, released on June 26, 2011. While both versions share the core functionality of providing TimeSpan capabilities, there are key differences that developers should be aware of.
A primary distinction lies in the development dependencies. Version 2.3.0 utilizes Vows version 0.7.0 or higher for testing, whereas 2.2.0 relies on Vows version 0.5.2 or above. This upgrade suggests improvements and potentially more robust testing in the newer release. Another subtle change is in the repository URL format; version 2.2.0 uses the "git://" protocol, while version 2.3.0 transitions to "https://," indicating a potential shift towards more secure communication protocols for accessing the repository.
For developers considering using TimeSpan, this library offers a convenient way to represent and perform calculations with time durations. The update to Vows in version 2.3.0 implies a greater emphasis on code quality and maintainability. Before integrating, developers should check the library's API and ensure compatibility with their project's specific requirements. The library aims to be accessible in browser environments as well, expanding its potential applications beyond Node.js-only projects, but this functionality wasn't completely available at the time of the described versions.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 2.3.0 of the package
Regular Expression Denial of Service in timespan
Affected versions of timespan are vulnerable to a regular expression denial of service when parsing dates.
The amplification for this vulnerability is significant, with 50,000 characters resulting in the event loop being blocked for around 10 seconds.
No direct patch is available for this vulnerability.
Currently, the best available solution is to use a functionally equivalent alternative package.
It is also sufficient to ensure that user input is not being passed into timespan, or that the maximum length of such user input is drastically reduced. Limiting the input length to 150 characters should be sufficient in most cases.
