The npm package xmlhttprequest provides XMLHttpRequest functionality within Node.js environments, enabling developers to perform HTTP requests server-side as they would in a browser. Comparing version 1.3.0 against its predecessor, version 1.2.2, reveals subtle but potentially important distinctions for developers. While the core functionality remains consistent – providing an XMLHttpRequest object – the primary differences lie in the metadata surrounding the package.
Version 1.3.0 introduces two new fields: dependencies and devDependencies. In this particular release, both are empty objects, signifying that this version doesn't introduce any new external dependencies required for the package to function, nor does it introduce any new dependencies used for development tasks like testing or building. This implies a focus on stability and minimal change to the underlying code. The key update is the introduction of those tags, meaning that the maintainer is now aware of the importance of declaring the dependencies.
Furthermore, version 1.3.0 includes a releaseDate of November 1, 2011, while version 1.2.2 was released on July 22, 2011. This roughly three-month gap could indicate bug fixes, performance improvements, or minor updates that developers might find beneficial. The releaseDate helps developers understand the recency and potential relevance of the version to their projects. The new version includes the dist object that tells you from where to retrieve the package from the npm registry.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 1.3.0 of the package
xmlhttprequest and xmlhttprequest-ssl vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Injection
This affects the package xmlhttprequest before 1.7.0; all versions of package xmlhttprequest-ssl. Provided requests are sent synchronously (async=False on xhr.open), malicious user input flowing into xhr.send could result in arbitrary code being injected and run.
