Express-handlebars is a Handlebars view engine for Express. Express-handlebars mixes pure template data with engine configuration options through the Express render API. More specifically, the layout parameter may trigger file disclosure vulnerabilities in downstream applications. This potential vulnerability is somewhat restricted in that only files with existing extentions (i.e. file.extension) can be included, files that lack an extension will have .handlebars appended to them. For complete details refer to the referenced GHSL-2021-018 report. Notes in documentation have been added to help users avoid this potential information exposure vulnerability.
CVE-2021-32820
This high-severity CVE scores 8.6 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 18.0%, top 3% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 8.6
- EG Score
- 8.6(medium)
- EG Risk
- 59(Track)EG Risk 59/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity86% × 45%Exploitation40% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS
- 96.9%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
May 14, 2021
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (10)
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/blob/78c47a235c4ad7bc2674bddd8ec2721567ed8c72/README.md#danger-
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/commit/78c47a235c4ad7bc2674bddd8ec2721567ed8c72
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/pull/163
- security-advisories@githubhttps://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2021-018-express-handlebars/
- security-advisories@githubhttps://www.npmjs.com/package/express-handlebars
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/blob/78c47a235c4ad7bc2674bddd8ec2721567ed8c72/README.md#danger-
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/commit/78c47a235c4ad7bc2674bddd8ec2721567ed8c72
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/pull/163
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2021-018-express-handlebars/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.npmjs.com/package/express-handlebars
Affected Packages
(1 across 1 ecosystem)
npm(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| express-handlebars | — | 5.3.1 | — |
Weakness Classification(2)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 14× in last 7d / 41× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-24 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-13 05:43 UTCOSV refresh
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- 2026-05-28 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 16:35 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-26 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain. Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Nucleihttp/cves/2021/CVE-2021-32820.yamlFirst seen Jan 1, 2021
Express-handlebars - Local File Inclusion
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2021-32820?
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What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-32820?
How do I remediate CVE-2021-32820?
Dependency Blast Radius
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