Analysing the Use of Outdated Javascript Libraries on the Web
Updated in September 2017: Require valid versions for library detection throughout the paper. The vulnerability analysis already did so and remains identical. Modifications in Tables I, III and IV; Figures 4 and 7; Sections III-B, IV-B, IV-C, IV-F and IV-H. Additionally, highlight Ember’s security practices in Section V. Thou Shalt Not Depend on Me: Analysing the Use of Outdated JavaScript Libraries on the Web Tobias Lauinger, Abdelberi Chaabane, Sajjad Arshad, William Robertson, Christo Wilson and Engin Kirda Northeastern University {toby, 3abdou, arshad, wkr, cbw, ek}@ccs.neu.edu Abstract—Web developers routinely rely on third-party Java- scripts or HTML into vulnerable websites via a crafted tag. As Script libraries such as jQuery to enhance the functionality of a result, it is of the utmost importance for websites to manage their sites. However, if not properly maintained, such dependen- library dependencies and, in particular, to update vulnerable cies can create attack vectors allowing a site to be compromised. libraries in a timely fashion. In this paper, we conduct the first comprehensive study of To date, security research has addressed a wide range of client-side JavaScript library usage and the resulting security client-side security issues in websites, including validation [30] implications across the Web. Using data from over 133 k websites, we show that 37 % of them include at least one library with a and XSS ([17], [36]), cross-site request forgery [4], and session known vulnerability; the time lag behind the newest release of fixation [34]. However, the use of vulnerable JavaScript libraries a library is measured in the order of years.
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