VulnerabilityModified

CVE-2026-33939

The runtime then immediately invokes the result as a function, causing an unhandled `TypeError: ... is not a function` that crashes the Node.js process.

HIGH 7.5EPSS 0.62%

Does this matter?

High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.62%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.

Description

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.

CVSS 3.1: 7.5 HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS: 0.62% probability · 48th percentile
CISA KEV: Not listed
Weakness: CWE-754, CWE-248
Affected: handlebarsjs/handlebars
Source: security-advisories@github.com

References

Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA. Refreshed daily.