CVE-2026-33941 | Handlebars.js has JavaScript Injection in CLI Precompiler via Unescaped Names and Options

Exp

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.

Published: 2026-03-27 Last update: 2026-03-31 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-33941 is rated Exploit Available (50/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.02%). 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2026-33941

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-33941

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-03-28 — 0.02% —

Full EPSS history (1 record total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-33941

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.2 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.5 6.0 [email protected]
8.2 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.5 6.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-33941

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-33941

GHSA-xjpj-3mr7-gcpf · Severity: high · Ecosystem: npm — Handlebars.js has JavaScript Injection in CLI Precompiler via Unescaped Names and Options

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-33941

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-33941 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (node-handlebars), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): open 3, resolved 2. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-33941
redhat high — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33941
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-33941 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (node-handlebars), 6 status rows across 6 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, upstream): needs-triage 5, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-33941

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-33941

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
handlebarsjs handlebars >= 4.0.0, < 4.7.9 cpe:2.3:a:handlebarsjs:handlebars:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*

References for CVE-2026-33941

cvelogic Threat Intelligence