Bug 2452521 (CVE-2026-33940)

Summary: CVE-2026-33940 handlebars.js: Handlebars.js: Arbitrary code execution via crafted template context
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: high Docs Contact:
Priority: high    
Version: unspecifiedCC: aazores, abuckta, cmah, dhanak, dkuc, drosa, eaguilar, ebaron, gotiwari, ibek, jcantril, jgrulich, jhorak, jkoehler, jolong, jrokos, lchilton, lphiri, mnovotny, mvyas, orabin, pjindal, rojacob, sausingh, sdawley, sfeifer, tpopela
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in Handlebars.js. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by providing a specially crafted object within the template context. This crafted object, when processed by a dynamic partial lookup, can bypass security checks and be interpreted as malicious code. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the server where Handlebars.js is running.
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:
Bug Depends On: 2452596, 2452607, 2452610, 2452614, 2452616, 2452635, 2452652, 2452601, 2452604, 2452619, 2452624, 2452641, 2452644, 2452648, 2452656    
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-03-27 22:03:06 UTC
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.