Vue 2.3.1 is a minor release following the 2.3.0 version of this popular JavaScript framework for building user interfaces. Both versions share the same core description: a reactive, component-oriented view layer for modern web interface development. Examining the devDependencies, we can spot subtle but potentially important changes. The most notable difference lies in the flow-bin version, which jumps from 0.39.0 in 2.3.0 to 0.45.0 in 2.3.1. This update signifies advancements or fixes in the Flow type checker, a static type checker that adds type safety to JavaScript code. For developers using Flow, this is a crucial update that could impact type checking behavior and compatibility.
A close look at the releaseDate also reveals a short time span between the releases, indicating that version 2.3.1 might contain bug fixes or urgent updates identified shortly after the release of 2.3.0. All the other development dependencies remain consistent across the two versions pointing to a maintenance release. While both versions utilize the same suite of tools like webpack, rollup, eslint, and babel for development, testing, and linting, this Flow update is the primary distinction that developers should be aware of when choosing between these specific versions of Vue.js. It's essential for Vue developers already utilizing Flow to upgrade to benefit from the latest type checking features and ensure compatibility.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 2.3.1 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.