Vue 2.1.8 represents a small but important step in the evolution of this popular JavaScript framework for building user interfaces. Compared to its predecessor, version 2.1.7, it's primarily a maintenance release, focusing on stability and refinements rather than groundbreaking new features. Examining the package.json files reveals that the dependencies section remains unchanged, indicating that core functionalities are consistent. However, the releaseDate shifts from December 24, 2016, to December 28, 2016, highlighting a few days of development and testing before the new version was deployed.
For developers, this means a relatively seamless upgrade path. Existing Vue applications built with 2.1.7 should generally transition smoothly to 2.1.8 without requiring significant code modifications. The unchanged devDependencies suggest that tools used for development, testing, and building Vue applications remain compatible and unaffected. While there aren't immediately apparent changes in feature, the release likely includes bug fixes, performance improvements and minor adjustments under the hood. It is always recommended to review the official changelog for a detailed breakdown. For those starting fresh with Vue, adopting the latest version is generally advisable to benefit from the most up-to-date and stable experience. The consistent set of dev-dependencies ensures a broad ecosystem support and indicates that the core development workflow remains robust and well-supported.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 2.1.8 of the package
ReDoS vulnerability in vue package that is exploitable through inefficient regex evaluation in the parseHTML function
The ReDoS can be exploited through the parseHTML function in the html-parser.ts file. This flaw allows attackers to slow down the application by providing specially crafted input that causes inefficient processing of regular expressions, leading to excessive resource consumption.
To demonstrate this vulnerability, here's an example. In a Vue client-side application, create a new Vue instance with a template string that includes a <script> tag but closes it incorrectly with something like </textarea>.
new Vue({
el: '#app',
template: '
<div>
Hello, world!
<script>${'<'.repeat(1000000)}</textarea>
</div>'
});
Next, set up a basic HTML page (e.g., index.html) to load this JavaScript and mount the Vue instance:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My first Vue app</title>
</head>
<body>
<div id=\"app\">Loading...</div>
</body>
</html>
When you visit the app in your browser at http://localhost:3000, you'll notice that the time taken to parse and mount the Vue application increases significantly due to the ReDoS vulnerability, demonstrating how the flaw can affect performance.