CVE Intelligence
High Logic error exploit reference

CVE-2026-33939 — Handlebars.js has Denial of Service via Malformed Decorator Syntax in Template Compilation

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.

Published Mar 27, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: GitHub_M

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.8% (30-day exploitation probability)+8
  • Technical severity (high)+6
  • CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5
  • Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.76%
ahead of 54% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Handlebars-lang
Handlebars.js and 1 more
CVSS base
7.5
High · 3 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
Proof of concept
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

  • Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Handlebars-lang Handlebars.js, Handlebarsjs Handlebars).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (logic error), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Handlebars-lang Handlebars.js version >= 4.0.0, < 4.7.9 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Handlebarsjs Handlebars ≥ 4.0.0 and < 4.7.9 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
7.5 CVSS 3.1 High 3.9 3.6 security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
7.5 CVSS 3.1 High 3.9 3.6 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c via NIST National Vulnerability Database
7.5 CVSS 3.1 High — — GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: security-advisories@github.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-754 · Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.76%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · handlebars-lang/handlebars.js
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 7.5
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Modified
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Mar 27, 2026 · GitHub_M

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

8 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Handlebars-lang
every CVE for this vendor
Logic error
same class
CWE-754
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-106446 Handlebars: JavaScript Injection via AST Type Confusion in compile (Program.blockParams) 9d
  • CVE-2026-106444 Handlebars: JavaScript Injection via Unsafe Inline Embedding of Precompiled Templates 9d
  • CVE-2026-106445 Handlebars: JavaScript Injection via Own Property Check Bypass 9d
  • CVE-2026-33940 Handlebars.js has JavaScript Injection via AST Type Confusion when passing an object as dynamic partial Mar 27, 2026
  • CVE-2026-33941 Handlebars.js has JavaScript Injection in CLI Precompiler via Unescaped Names and Options Mar 27, 2026
  • CVE-2026-33916 Handlebars.js has Prototype Pollution Leading to XSS through Partial Template Injection Mar 27, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-33939 is "Handlebars.js has Denial of Service via Malformed Decorator Syntax in Template Compilation", rated High. It affects Handlebars.js (Handlebars-lang); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.76% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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