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SCA: security update for handlebars (GHSA-xjpj-3mr7-gcpf)

high Tenable Cloud Security Plugin ID 439364

Description

There are packages installed that are affected by a vulnerability referenced in the following CVE:

 - Handlebars provides the power necessary to let users build semantic templates. In versions 4.0.0 through
 4.7.8, the Handlebars CLI precompiler (`bin/handlebars` / `lib/precompiler.js`) concatenates user-
 controlled strings — template file names and several CLI options — directly into the JavaScript it emits,
 without any escaping or sanitization. An attacker who can influence template filenames or CLI arguments
 can inject arbitrary JavaScript that executes when the generated bundle is loaded in Node.js or a browser.
 Version 4.7.9 fixes the issue. Some workarounds are available. First, validate all CLI inputs before
 invoking the precompiler. Reject filenames and option values that contain characters with JavaScript
 string-escaping significance (`"`, `'`, `;`, etc.). Second, use a fixed, trusted namespace string passed
 via a configuration file rather than command-line arguments in automated pipelines. Third, run the
 precompiler in a sandboxed environment (container with no write access to sensitive paths) to limit the
 impact of successful exploitation. Fourth, audit template filenames in any repository or package that is
 consumed by an automated build pipeline. (CVE-2026-33941)

Solution

Update the handlebars library and its related packages to version 4.7.9 or later.

See Also

https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xjpj-3mr7-gcpf

Plugin Details

Severity: High

ID: 439364

Version: Revision 1.6

Type: Local

Family: SCA Checks

Published: 3/27/2026

Updated: 7/2/2026

Supported Sensors: Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Self-Hosted Container Security

Risk Information

VPR

Risk Factor: High

Score: 7

Percentile: 98.3

Vendor

Vendor Severity: High

CVSS v2

Risk Factor: Medium

Base Score: 6.8

Temporal Score: 5.3

Vector: CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS Score Source: CVE-2026-33941

CVSS v3

Risk Factor: High

Base Score: 8.2

Temporal Score: 7.4

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Temporal Vector: CVSS:3.0/E:P/RL:O/RC:C

Vulnerability Information

Exploit Available: true

Exploit Ease: Exploits are available

Patch Publication Date: 3/27/2026

Vulnerability Publication Date: 3/27/2026

Reference Information

CVE: CVE-2026-33941