Yargs is a lightweight, command-line argument parsing library for Node.js, designed to simplify the process of creating interactive command-line tools. Version 1.0.15 builds upon the foundation laid by version 1.0.13, offering developers a refined tool for option parsing and creating user-friendly command-line interfaces.
Both versions share a core set of features, utilizing a simple argv hash for option parsing and avoiding complex optstring configurations. They depend on the "minimist" package for underlying argument processing and include "tap" and "hashish" as development dependencies for testing and utility purposes. The code remains under the MIT/X11 license, and the origin of the tool can be traced back to its GitHub repository.
The key difference between these versions lies in their release date. Version 1.0.15 was released on February 6, 2014, while the previous stable version, 1.0.13, was released on February 5, 2014. The very short interval between releases suggests that 1.0.15 likely addresses a minor bug fix or includes subtle improvements not explicitly detailed in the metadata.
Developers considering Yargs for their projects should be aware of its simplicity and focus on ease of use. The library's core strength lies in providing a straightforward method for extracting arguments and options from command-line input, allowing developers to concentrate on their application's logic rather than wrestling with complex argument parsing. While not drastically different, newer versions usually include improvements.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 1.0.15 of the package
Prototype Pollution in minimist
Affected versions of minimist are vulnerable to prototype pollution. Arguments are not properly sanitized, allowing an attacker to modify the prototype of Object, causing the addition or modification of an existing property that will exist on all objects.
Parsing the argument --__proto__.y=Polluted adds a y property with value Polluted to all objects. The argument --__proto__=Polluted raises and uncaught error and crashes the application.
This is exploitable if attackers have control over the arguments being passed to minimist.
Upgrade to versions 0.2.1, 1.2.3 or later.
Prototype Pollution in minimist
Minimist prior to 1.2.6 and 0.2.4 is vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via file index.js, function setKey() (lines 69-95).
