CVE-2026-33940: handlebars-lang handlebars.js Code Injection

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-33940 is a high (CVSS 8.1) Code Injection vulnerability in handlebars-lang handlebars.js. EPSS estimates a 0.79% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 55.4% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.

Timeline

1. 27-03-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 04-09-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

Handlebars provides the power necessary to let users build semantic templates. In versions 4.0.0 through 4.7.8, a crafted object placed in the template context can bypass all conditional guards in `resolvePartial()` and cause `invokePartial()` to return `undefined`. The Handlebars runtime then treats the unresolved partial as a source that needs to be compiled, passing the crafted object to `env.compile()`. Because the object is a valid Handlebars AST containing injected code, the generated JavaScript executes arbitrary commands on the server. The attack requires the adversary to control a value that can be returned by a dynamic partial lookup. Version 4.7.9 fixes the issue. Some workarounds are available. First, use the runtime-only build (`require('handlebars/runtime')`). Without `compile()`, the fallback compilation path in `invokePartial` is unreachable. Second, sanitize context data before rendering: Ensure no value in the context is a non-primitive object that could be passed to a dynamic partial. Third, avoid dynamic partial lookups (`{{> (lookup ...)}}`) when context data is user-controlled.

• CWE-94Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.
• CWE-843Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion')The product allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but it later accesses that resource using a type that is incompatible with the original type.