GHSA-2QVQ-RJWJ-GVW9

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-03-26 22:20 – Updated: 2026-03-27 21:52
VLAI
Summary
Handlebars.js has Prototype Pollution Leading to XSS through Partial Template Injection
Details

Summary

resolvePartial() in the Handlebars runtime resolves partial names via a plain property lookup on options.partials without guarding against prototype-chain traversal. When Object.prototype has been polluted with a string value whose key matches a partial reference in a template, the polluted string is used as the partial body and rendered without HTML escaping, resulting in reflected or stored XSS.

Description

The root cause is in lib/handlebars/runtime.js inside resolvePartial() and invokePartial():

// Vulnerable: plain bracket access traverses Object.prototype
partial = options.partials[options.name];

hasOwnProperty is never checked, so if Object.prototype has been seeded with a key whose name matches a partial reference in the template (e.g. widget), the lookup succeeds and the polluted string is returned. The runtime emits a prototype-access warning, but the partial is still resolved and its content is inserted into the rendered output unescaped. This contradicts the documented security model and is distinct from CVE-2021-23369 and CVE-2021-23383, which addressed data property access rather than partial template resolution.

Prerequisites for exploitation: 1. The target application must be vulnerable to prototype pollution (e.g. via qs, minimist, or any querystring/JSON merge sink). 2. The attacker must know or guess the name of a partial reference used in a template.

Proof of Concept

const Handlebars = require('handlebars');

// Step 1: Prototype pollution (via qs, minimist, or another vector)
Object.prototype.widget = '<img src=x onerror="alert(document.domain)">';

// Step 2: Normal template that references a partial
const template = Handlebars.compile('<div>Welcome! {{> widget}}</div>');

// Step 3: Render — XSS payload injected unescaped
const output = template({});
// Output: <div>Welcome! <img src=x onerror="alert(document.domain)"></div>

The runtime prints a prototype access warning claiming "access has been denied," but the partial still resolves and returns the polluted value.

Workarounds

  • Apply Object.freeze(Object.prototype) early in application startup to prevent prototype pollution. Note: this may break other libraries.
  • Use the Handlebars runtime-only build (handlebars/runtime), which does not compile templates and reduces the attack surface.
Severity
4.7 (Medium)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Show details on source website
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{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "npm",
        "name": "handlebars"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "4.0.0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.7.9"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-33916"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-1321",
      "CWE-79"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-03-26T22:20:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-03-27T21:17:27Z",
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\n`resolvePartial()` in the Handlebars runtime resolves partial names via a plain property lookup on `options.partials` without guarding against prototype-chain traversal. When `Object.prototype` has been polluted with a string value whose key matches a partial reference in a template, the polluted string is used as the partial body and rendered **without HTML escaping**, resulting in reflected or stored XSS.\n\n## Description\n\nThe root cause is in `lib/handlebars/runtime.js` inside `resolvePartial()` and `invokePartial()`:\n\n```javascript\n// Vulnerable: plain bracket access traverses Object.prototype\npartial = options.partials[options.name];\n```\n\n`hasOwnProperty` is never checked, so if `Object.prototype` has been seeded with a key whose name matches a partial reference in the template (e.g. `widget`), the lookup succeeds and the polluted string is returned. The runtime emits a prototype-access warning, but the partial is still resolved and its content is inserted into the rendered output unescaped. This contradicts the documented security model and is distinct from CVE-2021-23369 and CVE-2021-23383, which addressed data property access rather than partial template resolution.\n\n**Prerequisites for exploitation:**\n1. The target application must be vulnerable to prototype pollution (e.g. via `qs`, `minimist`, or\n   any querystring/JSON merge sink).\n2. The attacker must know or guess the name of a partial reference used in a template.\n\n## Proof of Concept\n\n```javascript\nconst Handlebars = require(\u0027handlebars\u0027);\n\n// Step 1: Prototype pollution (via qs, minimist, or another vector)\nObject.prototype.widget = \u0027\u003cimg src=x onerror=\"alert(document.domain)\"\u003e\u0027;\n\n// Step 2: Normal template that references a partial\nconst template = Handlebars.compile(\u0027\u003cdiv\u003eWelcome! {{\u003e widget}}\u003c/div\u003e\u0027);\n\n// Step 3: Render \u2014 XSS payload injected unescaped\nconst output = template({});\n// Output: \u003cdiv\u003eWelcome! \u003cimg src=x onerror=\"alert(document.domain)\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n```\n\n\u003e The runtime prints a prototype access warning claiming \"access has been denied,\" but the partial still resolves and returns the polluted value.\n\n## Workarounds\n\n- Apply `Object.freeze(Object.prototype)` early in application startup to prevent prototype  pollution. Note: this may break other libraries.\n- Use the Handlebars runtime-only build (`handlebars/runtime`), which does not compile templates  and reduces the attack surface.",
  "id": "GHSA-2qvq-rjwj-gvw9",
  "modified": "2026-03-27T21:52:02Z",
  "published": "2026-03-26T22:20:51Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/handlebars-lang/handlebars.js/security/advisories/GHSA-2qvq-rjwj-gvw9"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23369"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23383"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33916"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/handlebars-lang/handlebars.js/commit/68d8df5a88e0a26fe9e6084c5c6aaebe67b07da2"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/handlebars-lang/handlebars.js"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/handlebars-lang/handlebars.js/releases/tag/v4.7.9"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Handlebars.js has Prototype Pollution Leading to XSS through Partial Template Injection"
}



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