Webpack 4.33.0 introduces subtle refinements compared to its predecessor, version 4.32.2. While the core functionality remains consistent, developers should note the slight increase in unpacked size—from 1,389,791 bytes to 1,390,320 bytes. This minor difference likely stems from internal adjustments, bug fixes, or potential performance enhancements encompassed within the update.
Both versions share an identical set of dependencies and devDependencies, indicating stability in the underlying tooling ecosystem. Key dependencies like ajv for JSON schema validation, acorn for JavaScript parsing, and terser-webpack-plugin for code minification are maintained at the same versions, reassuring developers that the update hasn't introduced breaking changes in fundamental build processes.
Developers relying on webpack for bundling JavaScript applications, especially those using loaders for pre-processing files like CSS, LESS, or JSON, will find a familiar and reliable environment in version 4.33.0. The upgrade promises the same robust module handling, code splitting capabilities, and support for various loaders that made webpack 4 popular.
For those deeply invested in testing and linting, the consistency in devDependencies such as jest, eslint, and prettier suggests a smooth transition, with existing configurations and scripts expected to work seamlessly. While the changes might seem incremental, these iterative upgrades are essential for continuous improvement and maintaining the stability of webpack as a core build tool.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 4.33.0 of the package
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.
