The vulnerability stems from Express-handlebars' handling of the 'layout' parameter in the render API. The renderView function accepts engine configuration options mixed with template data, and when user-controlled input (e.g., req.query) is passed to res.render(), attackers can manipulate the 'layout' parameter to access arbitrary files. The security advisory explicitly identifies this parameter as the injection vector, and the documentation warnings confirm the pattern of unsafe API usage. While the exact file path isn't visible in provided resources, the renderView function is the primary entry point for template rendering and layout handling in Express-handlebars.