CVE-2026-109596 Hugo from v0.162.0 before v0.167.0 Symlink File Disclosure via Nested Mount Ancestor
Attackers can use malicious themes to expose local files outside the project root via symlink manipulation during site builds.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-109596?
CVE-2026-109596 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in gohugoio hugo, published on 12 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Hugo from v0.162.0 before v0.167.0 contains an improper link resolution vulnerability that lets malicious themes or modules expose files outside their root via nested-mount ancestor directories. Attackers controlling a theme can place a symlink or NTFS junction at a virtual ancestor directory, causing resources.Match to list and publish local files during builds.
Weakness: CWE-59
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-109596?
How do I fix CVE-2026-109596?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-109596 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-109596 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-109596, GHSA-38r7-h6rh-gjv9, GHSA-6c8w-mpp8-9w47, MINI-g6q6-rrc3-5j8v, MINI-j7f2-4254-c2jv, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-109596.