CVE-2026-33939
Handlebars provides the power necessary to let users build semantic templates. In versions 4.0.0 through 4.7.8, when a Handlebars template contains decorator syntax referencing an unregistered decorator (e.g. `{{*n}}`), the compiled template calls `lookupProperty(decorators, "n")`, which returns `undefined`. The runtime then immediately invokes the result as a function, causing an unhandled `TypeError: ... is not a function` that crashes the Node.js process. Any application that compiles user-supplied templates without wrapping the call in a `try/catch` is vulnerable to a single-request Denial of Service. Version 4.7.9 fixes the issue. Some workarounds are available. Wrap compilation and rendering in `try/catch`. Validate template input before passing it to `compile()`; reject templates containing decorator syntax (`{{*...}}`) if decorators are not used in your application. Use the pre-compilation workflow; compile templates at build time and serve only pre-compiled templates; do not call `compile()` at request time.
- Score
- CVSS 3.1 7.5 High
- Status
- Modified - security-advisories@github.com
- Published
- 2026-03-27
- Last modified
- 2026-10-26
- Weaknesses
- CWE-248, CWE-754
Affected products
- Handlebars.js (Handlebars-lang)
- Handlebars (Handlebarsjs)
- Cluster Observability Operator (Redhat)
- Cryostat (Redhat)
- Enterprise Linux (Redhat)
- Jboss Data Grid (Redhat)
- Jboss Enterprise Bpms Platform (Redhat)
- Logging (Redhat)
- Openshift Ai (Redhat)
- Openshift Devspaces (Redhat)
References
- https://github.com/handlebars-lang/handlebars.js/security/advisories/GHSA-9cx6-37pm-9jff
- https://github.com/handlebars-lang/handlebars.js/commit/68d8df5a88e0a26fe9e6084c5c6aaebe67b07da2
- https://github.com/handlebars-lang/handlebars.js/releases/tag/v4.7.9
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33939
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2452508
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-33939.json
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34342
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:10175