CVE-2021-32820

HIGHNVD 8.68.6—
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

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).

Triggered by: NVD CVSS baseline
Sources: epss, nvd
Elevated
8.6EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 16%CVSS: 8.6Exploit: Elevated riskExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

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.

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 computed
Severity86% × 45%
Exploitation40% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence.
EPSS PROB
16%
EPSS %ILE
97%
KEV
Not listed

Published

May 14, 2021

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

Advisory Details (4)

Auto-updated Sep 1, 2026
🔬 Proof of concept available. Patch available. Sources: github_commit, github_pr, github.
github🟡 PoC Available

GHSL-2021-018: File disclosure in Express Handlebars - CVE-2021-32820 | GitHub Security Lab

https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2021-018-express-handlebars/
github_pr

fix: use `context` property for template variables

Upstream fix in progress (PR #163 · express-handlebars/express-handlebars, state=closed)

https://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/pull/163
github_commit Patch Available

commit 78c47a235c4a (express-handlebars/express-handlebars)

Patch available: express-handlebars/express-handlebars v6.0.0 (contains commit 78c47a235c4a)

https://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/commit/78c47a235c4ad7bc2674bddd8ec2721567ed8c72
generic

express-handlebars/README.md at 78c47a235c4ad7bc2674bddd8ec2721567ed8c72 · express-handlebars/express-handlebars · GitHub

https://github.com/express-handlebars/express-handlebars/blob/78c47a235c4ad7bc2674bddd8ec2721567ed8c72/README.md#danger-

Affected Packages

(1 across 1 ecosystem)
npm(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
express-handlebars—5.3.1—

Weakness Classification(2)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 7× in last 7d / 32× 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.

Showing the most recent 100 of 138 total refreshes for this CVE.

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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.yaml
    First seen Jan 1, 2021

    Express-handlebars - Local File Inclusion

    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2021-32820?
CVE-2021-32820 is a high vulnerability published on May 14, 2021. 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…
When was CVE-2021-32820 disclosed?
CVE-2021-32820 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on May 14, 2021, with the most recent update on November 21, 2024. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2021-32820 actively exploited?
CVE-2021-32820 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 16% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 3.3% of all scored CVEs.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-32820?
CVE-2021-32820 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.6 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2021-32820?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2021-32820, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

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