diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 687eadc8a..6f0db61ae 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
                 "lodash": "^4.18.1",
                 "moment": "^2.29.4",
                 "plotly.js": "^2.25.2",
-                "query-string": "^6.13.1",
+                "query-string": "^9.5.0",
                 "raf": "^3.4.1",
                 "react": "^18.2.0",
                 "react-colorful": "^5.6.1",
@@ -8525,11 +8525,12 @@
             }
         },
         "node_modules/decode-uri-component": {
-            "version": "0.2.2",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/decode-uri-component/-/decode-uri-component-0.2.2.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-FqUYQ+8o158GyGTrMFJms9qh3CqTKvAqgqsTnkLI8sKu0028orqBhxNMFkFen0zGyg6epACD32pjVk58ngIErQ==",
+            "version": "0.5.0",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/decode-uri-component/-/decode-uri-component-0.5.0.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-1BiQVoK8C9gUbQU6NzAtO/tkz2qOFpEObMWpcFvhx4fYnj4Oc5yzaJN/LD36ihkVUdXyh5ZekzX+yM+ty/SrPg==",
+            "license": "MIT",
             "engines": {
-                "node": ">=0.10"
+                "node": ">=14.16"
             }
         },
         "node_modules/dedent": {
@@ -10294,11 +10295,15 @@
             }
         },
         "node_modules/filter-obj": {
-            "version": "1.1.0",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/filter-obj/-/filter-obj-1.1.0.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-8rXg1ZnX7xzy2NGDVkBVaAy+lSlPNwad13BtgSlLuxfIslyt5Vg64U7tFcCt4WS1R0hvtnQybT/IyCkGZ3DpXQ==",
+            "version": "5.1.0",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/filter-obj/-/filter-obj-5.1.0.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-qWeTREPoT7I0bifpPUXtxkZJ1XJzxWtfoWWkdVGqa+eCr3SHW/Ocp89o8vLvbUuQnadybJpjOKu4V+RwO6sGng==",
+            "license": "MIT",
             "engines": {
-                "node": ">=0.10.0"
+                "node": ">=14.16"
+            },
+            "funding": {
+                "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/sindresorhus"
             }
         },
         "node_modules/finalhandler": {
@@ -18127,17 +18132,17 @@
             }
         },
         "node_modules/query-string": {
-            "version": "6.14.1",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/query-string/-/query-string-6.14.1.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-XDxAeVmpfu1/6IjyT/gXHOl+S0vQ9owggJ30hhWKdHAsNPOcasn5o9BW0eejZqL2e4vMjhAxoW3jVHcD6mbcYw==",
+            "version": "9.5.0",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/query-string/-/query-string-9.5.0.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-YlJmwNyi0RGYjlxYcuDncMsxFU7YyutbuI7gTm8ySxIGBlwx5yiBCOD5ig9ZNoHkawk/1Dey0N5mEfcUybMVAA==",
+            "license": "MIT",
             "dependencies": {
-                "decode-uri-component": "^0.2.0",
-                "filter-obj": "^1.1.0",
-                "split-on-first": "^1.0.0",
-                "strict-uri-encode": "^2.0.0"
+                "decode-uri-component": "^0.5.0",
+                "filter-obj": "^5.1.0",
+                "split-on-first": "^3.0.0"
             },
             "engines": {
-                "node": ">=6"
+                "node": ">=18"
             },
             "funding": {
                 "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/sindresorhus"
@@ -20699,11 +20704,15 @@
             }
         },
         "node_modules/split-on-first": {
-            "version": "1.1.0",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/split-on-first/-/split-on-first-1.1.0.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-43ZssAJaMusuKWL8sKUBQXHWOpq8d6CfN/u1p4gUzfJkM05C8rxTmYrkIPTXapZpORA6LkkzcUulJ8FqA7Uudw==",
+            "version": "3.0.0",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/split-on-first/-/split-on-first-3.0.0.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-qxQJTx2ryR0Dw0ITYyekNQWpz6f8dGd7vffGNflQQ3Iqj9NJ6qiZ7ELpZsJ/QBhIVAiDfXdag3+Gp8RvWa62AA==",
+            "license": "MIT",
             "engines": {
-                "node": ">=6"
+                "node": ">=12"
+            },
+            "funding": {
+                "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/sindresorhus"
             }
         },
         "node_modules/sprintf-js": {
@@ -20798,14 +20807,6 @@
             "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/stream-shift/-/stream-shift-1.0.3.tgz",
             "integrity": "sha512-76ORR0DO1o1hlKwTbi/DM3EXWGf3ZJYO8cXX5RJwnul2DEg2oyoZyjLNoQM8WsvZiFKCRfC1O0J7iCvie3RZmQ=="
         },
-        "node_modules/strict-uri-encode": {
-            "version": "2.0.0",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/strict-uri-encode/-/strict-uri-encode-2.0.0.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-QwiXZgpRcKkhTj2Scnn++4PKtWsH0kpzZ62L2R6c/LUVYv7hVnZqcg2+sMuT6R7Jusu1vviK/MFsu6kNJfWlEQ==",
-            "engines": {
-                "node": ">=4"
-            }
-        },
         "node_modules/string_decoder": {
             "version": "1.1.1",
             "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/string_decoder/-/string_decoder-1.1.1.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 41a1c427e..4c9dce8b3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@
         "lodash": "^4.18.1",
         "moment": "^2.29.4",
         "plotly.js": "^2.25.2",
-        "query-string": "^6.13.1",
+        "query-string": "^9.5.0",
         "raf": "^3.4.1",
         "react": "^18.2.0",
         "react-colorful": "^5.6.1",
diff --git a/src/containers/Simularium/index.tsx b/src/containers/Simularium/index.tsx
index 902cd0566..4b3101c89 100644
--- a/src/containers/Simularium/index.tsx
+++ b/src/containers/Simularium/index.tsx
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class App extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
         const fileName = parsed[URL_PARAM_KEY_FILE_NAME];
         const userTrajectoryUrl = parsed[URL_PARAM_KEY_USER_URL];
 
-        const loadNetworkedFile = (fileName: string | string[]) => {
+        const loadNetworkedFile = (fileName: string | (string | null)[]) => {
             const networkedFile = find(TRAJECTORIES, { id: fileName });
             if (networkedFile) {
                 const fileData = networkedFile as TrajectoryDisplayData;
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ class App extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
         };
 
         const loadUserTrajectoryUrl = (
-            userTrajectoryUrl: string | string[]
+            userTrajectoryUrl: string | (string | null)[]
         ) => {
             const verifiedUrl = urlCheck(userTrajectoryUrl);
             const fileId = getFileIdFromUrl(verifiedUrl, parsed.id);
diff --git a/src/util/userUrlHandling.ts b/src/util/userUrlHandling.ts
index dffbd58d7..5b0f1f399 100644
--- a/src/util/userUrlHandling.ts
+++ b/src/util/userUrlHandling.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ export const isGoogleDriveUrl = (url: string) => /google.com/g.test(url);
 
 export const getGoogleDriveFileId = (
     googleDriveUrl: string,
-    id?: string | string[] | null
+    id?: string | (string | null)[] | null
 ): string | undefined => {
     // already checked it was a google url before entering this function.
     if (id && isString(id)) {
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ export const getGoogleDriveFileId = (
 
 export const getFileIdFromUrl = (
     url: string,
-    idParam?: string | string[] | null
+    idParam?: string | (string | null)[] | null
 ) => {
     if (isGoogleDriveUrl(url)) {
         return getGoogleDriveFileId(url, idParam);