CVE-2026-39859: LiquidJS: `renderFile()` / `parseFile()` bypass configured `root` and allow arbitrary file read
(updated )
liquidjs 10.25.0 documents root as constraining filenames passed to renderFile() and parseFile(), but top-level file loads do not enforce that boundary.
The published npm package liquidjs@10.25.0 on Linux 6.17.0 with Node v22.22.1. A Liquid instance configured with an empty temporary directory as root still returned the contents of /etc/hosts when renderFile('/etc/hosts') was called. I have not exhaustively checked older releases yet; 10.25.0 is the latest tested version.
Root cause:
src/parser/parser.ts:83-85callsloader.lookup(file, LookupType.Root, ...)and then reads the returned file.src/fs/loader.ts:38passestype !== LookupType.Rootintocandidates().- For
LookupType.Root,enforceRootis false, sosrc/fs/loader.ts:47-66accepts resolved absolute paths and fallback results without anycontains()check.
This appears adjacent to the March 10, 2026 fix for CVE-2026-30952, which hardened include / render / layout but not the top-level file-loading APIs.
Proof of concept:
const fs = require('fs');
const os = require('os');
const path = require('path');
const { Liquid } = require('liquidjs');
const safeRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'liquidjs-safe-root-'));
const engine = new Liquid({ root: [safeRoot], extname: '.liquid' });
engine.renderFile('/etc/hosts').then(console.log);
Expected result: a path outside root should be rejected.
Actual result: /etc/hosts is rendered successfully.
Impact: any application that treats root as a sandbox boundary and forwards attacker-controlled template names into renderFile() or parseFile() can disclose arbitrary local files readable by the server process.
Suggested fix: apply the same containment checks used for partial/layout lookups to LookupType.Root, and reject absolute or fallback paths unless they remain within an allowed root. A regression test should verify that renderFile('/etc/hosts') fails when root points to an unrelated directory.
References
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-v273-448j-v4qj
- github.com/harttle/liquidjs
- github.com/harttle/liquidjs/commit/f41c1fc02fe901598f3328118b42b13bc6bc9b04
- github.com/harttle/liquidjs/pull/870
- github.com/harttle/liquidjs/releases/tag/v10.25.5
- github.com/harttle/liquidjs/security/advisories/GHSA-v273-448j-v4qj
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-39859
Code Behaviors & Features
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