CVE-2026-33941

Summary

Handlebars provides the power necessary to let users build semantic templates. In versions 4.0.0 through 4.7.8, the Handlebars CLI precompiler (bin/handlebars / lib/precompiler.js) concatenates user-controlled strings — template file names and several CLI options — directly into the JavaScript it emits, without any escaping or sanitization. An attacker who can influence template filenames or CLI arguments can inject arbitrary JavaScript that executes when the generated bundle is loaded in Node.js or a browser. Version 4.7.9 fixes the issue. Some workarounds are available. First, validate all CLI inputs before invoking the precompiler. Reject filenames and option values that contain characters with JavaScript string-escaping significance (", ', ;, etc.). Second, use a fixed, trusted namespace string passed via a configuration file rather than command-line arguments in automated pipelines. Third, run the precompiler in a sandboxed environment (container with no write access to sensitive paths) to limit the impact of successful exploitation. Fourth, audit template filenames in any repository or package that is consumed by an automated build pipeline.

Affected Software

VendorProductVersion RangeStatus
handlebars-langhandlebars.js>= 4.0.0, < 4.7.9affected

Weaknesses

  • CWE-79: CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
  • CWE-94: CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
  • CWE-116: CWE-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output

ADP Enrichment

CISA ADP Vulnrichment

  • SSVC:
  • Exploitation: poc
    • Automatable: no
    • Technical Impact: total

handlebars.js: Handlebars: Arbitrary code execution via CLI precompiler input sanitization flaw

Additional References

References