chore(deps): bump qs from 6.14.0 to 6.16.0 in /backend

[dependabot]

Bumps qs from 6.14.0 to 6.16.0.

Changelog

Sourced from qs's changelog.

6.16.0

• [New] stringify: add a depth option to bound recursion depth (default Infinity)
• [Fix] stringify: serialize Date values when a filter is provided
• [Fix] parse: enforce arrayLimit on comma groups under []= when throwOnLimitExceeded is set
• [Fix] parse: flatten a collection appended to an overflowed array (#571)
• [Fix] utils: isBuffer: do not invoke a non-callable constructor.isBuffer
• [Fix] stringify: do not let allowEmptyArrays skip cycle detection (or drop own keys) on an empty array with own properties
• [Fix] stringify: encode dots in a top-level key with a primitive value when encodeDotInKeys is set (#562)
• [Docs] threat model: clarify stringify deep-nesting DoS is caller-bounded
• [Docs] clarify arrayLimit is a representation threshold, not an element-count cap
• [Tests] parse: remove a test that pinned []= comma groups escaping arrayLimit
• [Tests] stringify: pin current encodeDotInKeys separator-dot behavior
• [Dev Deps] update @ljharb/eslint-config, eslint
• [Dev Deps] update eslint, evalmd

6.15.3

• [Fix] parse: enforce throwOnLimitExceeded for cumulative array growth via combine/merge
• [Fix] utils: respect encoding of surrogate pairs across chunks (#559)
• [Robustness] parse: throw the arrayLimit error before splitting oversized comma values
• [Robustness] utils.merge / utils.assign: avoid invoking __proto__ setter when copying own properties
• [Robustness] utils: enforce arrayLimit consistently across merge's array paths
• [Perf] utils: make compact O(n) via a side-channel visited-set instead of Array.indexOf
• [Deps] update side-channel
• [Dev Deps] update eslint, mock-property, tape
• [Tests] parse: characterize current lenient handling of unbalanced bracket keys (#558)

6.15.2

• [Fix] stringify: skip null/undefined entries in arrayFormat: 'comma' + encodeValuesOnly instead of crashing in encoder
• [Fix] stringify: use configured delimiter after charsetSentinel (#555)
• [Fix] stringify: apply formatter to encoded key under strictNullHandling (#554)
• [Fix] stringify: skip null/undefined filter-array entries instead of crashing in encoder (#551)
• [Fix] parse: handle nested bracket groups and add regression tests (#530); changes output for some unbalanced bracket keys (see #558)
• [readme] fix grammar (#550)
• [Dev Deps] update @ljharb/eslint-config
• [Tests] add regression tests for keys containing percent-encoded bracket text

6.15.1

• [Fix] parse: parameterLimit: Infinity with throwOnLimitExceeded: true silently drops all parameters
• [Deps] update @ljharb/eslint-config
• [Dev Deps] update @ljharb/eslint-config, iconv-lite
• [Tests] increase coverage

6.15.0

• [New] parse: add strictMerge option to wrap object/primitive conflicts in an array (#425, #122)
• [Fix] duplicates option should not apply to bracket notation keys (#514)

6.14.2

• [Fix] parse: mark overflow objects for indexed notation exceeding arrayLimit (#546)
• [Fix] arrayLimit means max count, not max index, in combine/merge/parseArrayValue
• [Fix] parse: throw on arrayLimit exceeded with indexed notation when throwOnLimitExceeded is true (#529)

... (truncated)

Commits

• bb9379e v6.16.0
• 62fd254 [Fix] stringify: serialize Date values when a filter is provided
• 8859c37 [Fix] parse: enforce arrayLimit on comma groups under []= when `throwOn...
• 8079adc [Tests] parse: remove a test that pinned []= comma groups escaping `array...
• d56f48c [Fix] parse: flatten a collection appended to an overflowed array
• e83d321 [Fix] utils: isBuffer: do not invoke a non-callable constructor.isBuffer
• 7e87a07 [Dev Deps] update @ljharb/eslint-config, eslint
• 9a76af2 [Dev Deps] update eslint, evalmd
• 3a890d4 [Dev Deps] update eslint, evalmd
• b433a9b [Fix] stringify: do not let allowEmptyArrays skip cycle detection (or dro...
• Additional commits viewable in compare view

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[NetworkTheoryAppliedResearchInstitute]

Approving: dependency-only bump, all required checks green (hardcoded-urls, CodeQL, DCO). Reviewed as part of the 2026-09-14 org-wide advisory sweep.

[NetworkTheoryAppliedResearchInstitute]

@dependabot rebase

[dependabot]

Looks like this PR has been edited by someone other than Dependabot. That means Dependabot can't rebase it - sorry!

If you're happy for Dependabot to recreate it from scratch, overwriting any edits, you can request @dependabot recreate.

[NetworkTheoryAppliedResearchInstitute]

Superseded by #162, which takes qs to 6.16.0 and covers alerts 167 and 175.

Same target version as this PR, but reached differently: express and body-parser pin qs to ~6.15.1, so #162 raises the existing qs override to ^6.16.0. This PR is also CONFLICTING after #153 rewrote backend/package-lock.json.

[dependabot]

OK, I won't notify you again about this release, but will get in touch when a new version is available. If you'd rather skip all updates until the next major or minor version, let me know by commenting @dependabot ignore this major version or @dependabot ignore this minor version.

If you change your mind, just re-open this PR and I'll resolve any conflicts on it.