# CVE-2026-75926: Hugo 0.162.0 to 0.164.x - Node Permission Model Bypass via Default TailwindCSS Child-Process Grant

> Hugo's default TailwindCSS configuration bypasses Node permission restrictions, allowing arbitrary command execution during site builds.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-75926, GHSA-pxpg-7gfv-6wc9, MINI-h7q5-v7x4-5x79, MINI-qv24-jfm8-qjqq, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-75926

## What is CVE-2026-75926?

CVE-2026-75926 is a critical vulnerability in gohugoio hugo, published on 18 Aug 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 0.161.0 placed the Node asset pipelines behind the Node.js permission model so that code running through PostCSS, Babel, or TailwindCSS could not reach the file system outside the project directory. Hugo 0.162.0 added tailwindcss to the AllowChildProcess default in config/security/securityConfig.go, which makes nodePermissionArgs in common/hexec/exec.go append --allow-child-process whenever the tool being launched is named tailwindcss. TailwindCSS loads the site's tailwind.config.js through require at startup, so top-level code in that file executes inside the permitted Node process and can call child_process to spawn a shell. The spawned process is not a Node process and inherits none of the permission flags, so it runs with the full privileges of the account performing the build. Building a site whose theme, module, or starter template supplies the Tailwind configuration therefore yields arbitrary command execution rather than the confined file access the permission model was introduced to enforce. Hugo 0.165.0 removes tailwindcss from the default security.exec.allow list, so the tool is no longer launched under the default configuration.

Weakness: CWE-1188 (Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-75926?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gohugo Hugo.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-75926?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-75926 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-75926 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in gohugoio hugo

- [CVE-2026-100690](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-100690/): Hugo v0.161.0 to v0.165.0 Arbitrary File Read via Symlinks (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2026-100692](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-100692/): Hugo before v0.166.0 Path Traversal via Symlinked Mount Roots (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2026-100693](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-100693/): Hugo v0.162.0 before v0.166.0 IP-literal Deny Rule Bypass (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2020-26284](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-26284/): Hugo can execute a binary from the current directory on Windows (high 7.7)
- [CVE-2026-50135](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-50135/): Hugo: Symlink confinement bypass in resources.Get (medium 6.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-75926 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-75926 is a critical vulnerability in gohugoio hugo, published on 18 Aug 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-75926 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: gohugoio hugo. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-75926/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-75926/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-75926
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-75926
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-75926

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-75926/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.