Webpack 4.9.2 is a minor release following version 4.9.1 in the webpack 4 series, a popular JavaScript module bundler. Both versions share the same core functionality, providing tools for bundling various assets like JavaScript, CSS, and images for use in web applications. The description, dependencies, devDependencies, license, repository, and author remain consistent between the two releases, focusing on module packing and codebase splitting with loader support for diverse file types.
While the functionality largely remains the same, subtle under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes are likely the primary drivers for the 4.9.2 release. One can notice a slight increase in the unpacked size of the package when installed. Specifically, version 4.9.2 reports an unpacked size of 1,204,602 bytes, compared to 1,200,634 bytes for version 4.9.1.
The most noticeable difference is the release date. Version 4.9.2 was released on May 28, 2018, a few days after version 4.9.1, which came out on May 25, 2018. This suggests that the update addresses potential issues identified shortly after the initial 4.9.1 release. Developers already using webpack 4 should consider upgrading to 4.9.2 to benefit from the more stable and refined build process. While the changelog isn't directly available, typical minor releases contain important stability improvements and bug fixes.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 4.9.2 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.
Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS)
npm ssri 5.2.2-6.0.1 and 7.0.0-8.0.0, processes SRIs using a regular expression which is vulnerable to a denial of service. Malicious SRIs could take an extremely long time to process, leading to denial of service. This issue only affects consumers using the strict option.
Cross-Site Scripting in serialize-javascript
Versions of serialize-javascript prior to 2.1.1 are vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The package fails to sanitize serialized regular expressions. This vulnerability does not affect Node.js applications.
Upgrade to version 2.1.1 or later.
Insecure serialization leading to RCE in serialize-javascript
serialize-javascript prior to 3.1.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary code via the function "deleteFunctions" within "index.js".
An object such as {"foo": /1"/, "bar": "a\"@__R-<UID>-0__@"} was serialized as {"foo": /1"/, "bar": "a\/1"/}, which allows an attacker to escape the bar key. This requires the attacker to control the values of both foo and bar and guess the value of <UID>. The UID has a keyspace of approximately 4 billion making it a realistic network attack.
