Hugo 0.162.0 to 0.164.x - Node Permission Model Bypass via Default TailwindCSS Child-Process Grant
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-75926 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | VulnCheck |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-08-18 16:18:24 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-18 20:17:33 UTC |
| 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. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 9.3 CRITICAL from [email protected]
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/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Problem Types: CWE-1188 | CWE-1188 Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 9.3 | CRITICAL | 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/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 9.3 | CRITICAL | 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 |
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 8.6 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 8.6 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
LocalAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
NonePrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
PassiveConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighSub Conf.
HighSub Integrity
HighSub Availability
HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
LocalAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
RequiredScope
ChangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/gohugoio/hugo/blob/v0.164.0/config/security/securityConfig.go | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/gohugoio/hugo/commit/8a55df7af2e6da31297245cc54fa2e3b521d93e8 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/gohugoio/hugo/blob/v0.164.0/common/hexec/exec.go | [email protected] | github.com | |
| www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hugo-to-x-node-permission-model-bypass-via-default... | [email protected] | www.vulncheck.com | |
| github.com/gohugoio/hugo | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/gohugoio/hugo/issues/15178 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Michael Holmquist (en)
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.