Webpack-cli version 3.3.6 is a minor update to the popular command-line interface for webpack, following closely after version 3.3.5. Both versions share the same core dependencies like chalk, yargs, interpret, and cross-spawn, ensuring consistent functionality for basic CLI operations. For developers, this means a stable foundation for building webpack configurations and workflows.
The key difference lies in the updated development dependencies. Notably, version 3.3.5 includes typedoc for API documentation generation and @commitlint/prompt-cli for interactive commit message linting, which are absent in 3.3.6. The newer version features readable-stream but removes the prompt CLI from commitlint. Developers using version 3.3.5 can leverage typedoc to generate documentation for their webpack plugins and configurations, whereas those sticking with 3.3.6 might need to manage API documentation through other means or perhaps it wasn't need anymore to include in the build process. The readable-stream dependency in 3.3.6 indicates potential improvements or changes in how the CLI handles streams of data, something those working with complex build processes might find relevant. Both versions maintain peer dependency on webpack 4.x.x, ensuring compatibility with existing webpack projects. Therefore, the upgrade is minor and the focus is on tooling rather than primary dependencies or features. The unpacked size of 3.3.6 is slightly larger, potentially due to changes in the build process or internal assets.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 3.3.6 of the package
Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in cross-spawn
Versions of the package cross-spawn before 7.0.5 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) due to improper input sanitization. An attacker can increase the CPU usage and crash the program by crafting a very large and well crafted string.
Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in micromatch
The NPM package micromatch prior to version 4.0.8 is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS). The vulnerability occurs in micromatch.braces() in index.js because the pattern .* will greedily match anything. By passing a malicious payload, the pattern matching will keep backtracking to the input while it doesn't find the closing bracket. As the input size increases, the consumption time will also increase until it causes the application to hang or slow down. There was a merged fix but further testing shows the issue persisted prior to https://github.com/micromatch/micromatch/pull/266. This issue should be mitigated by using a safe pattern that won't start backtracking the regular expression due to greedy matching.
Uncontrolled resource consumption in braces
The NPM package braces fails to limit the number of characters it can handle, which could lead to Memory Exhaustion. In lib/parse.js, if a malicious user sends "imbalanced braces" as input, the parsing will enter a loop, which will cause the program to start allocating heap memory without freeing it at any moment of the loop. Eventually, the JavaScript heap limit is reached, and the program will crash.
Prototype pollution in webpack loader-utils
Prototype pollution vulnerability in function parseQuery in parseQuery.js in webpack loader-utils prior to version 2.0.3 via the name variable in parseQuery.js.
loader-utils is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) via url variable
A Regular expression denial of service (ReDoS) flaw was found in Function interpolateName in interpolateName.js in webpack loader-utils 2.0.0 via the url variable in interpolateName.js. A badly or maliciously formed string could be used to send crafted requests that cause a system to crash or take a disproportional amount of time to process. This issue has been patched in versions 1.4.2, 2.0.4 and 3.2.1.
loader-utils is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS)
A regular expression denial of service (ReDoS) flaw was found in Function interpolateName in interpolateName.js in webpack loader-utils via the resourcePath variable in interpolateName.js. A badly or maliciously formed string could be used to send crafted requests that cause a system to crash or take a disproportional amount of time to process. This issue has been patched in versions 1.4.2, 2.0.4 and 3.2.1.
