Handlebars.js has Denial of Service via Malformed Decorator Syntax in Template Compilation

Summary

When a Handlebars template contains decorator syntax referencing an unregistered decorator (e.g. {{*n}}), the compiled template calls lookupProperty(decorators, "n"), which returns undefined. The runtime then immediately invokes the result as a function, causing an unhandled TypeError: ... is not a function that crashes the Node.js process. Any application that compiles user-supplied templates without wrapping the call in a try/catch is vulnerable to a single-request Denial of Service.

Description

In lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js, the code generated for a decorator invocation looks like:

fn = lookupProperty(decorators, "n")(fn, props, container, options) || fn;

When "n" is not a registered decorator, lookupProperty(decorators, "n") returns undefined. The expression immediately attempts to call undefined as a function, producing:

TypeError: lookupProperty(...) is not a function

Because the error is thrown inside the compiled template function and is not caught by the runtime, it propagates up as an unhandled exception and — when not caught by the application — crashes the Node.js process.

This inconsistency is notable: references to unregistered helpers produce a clean "Missing helper: ..." error, while references to unregistered decorators cause a hard crash.

Attack scenario: An attacker submits {{*n}} as template content to any endpoint that calls Handlebars.compile(userInput)(). Each request crashes the server process; with process managers that auto-restart (PM2, systemd), repeated submissions create a persistent DoS.

Proof of Concept

const Handlebars = require('handlebars'); // Handlebars 4.7.8, Node.js v22.x

// Any of these payloads crash the process
Handlebars.compile('{{*n}}')({});
Handlebars.compile('{{*decorator}}')({});
Handlebars.compile('{{*constructor}}')({});

Expected crash output:

TypeError: lookupProperty(...) is not a function
    at Function.eval [as decorator] (eval at compile (...javascript-compiler.js:134:36))

Workarounds

• Wrap compilation and rendering in try/catch:

  try {
    const result = Handlebars.compile(userInput)(context);
    res.send(result);
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(400).send('Invalid template');
  }
  

• Validate template input before passing it to compile(). Reject templates containing decorator syntax ({{*...}}) if decorators are not used in your application.
• Use the pre-compilation workflow: compile templates at build time and serve only pre-compiled templates; do not call compile() at request time.