Hugo can execute a binary from the current directory on Windows

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

7.7 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2020-26284: 1.47% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 73.76 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Impact Hugo depends on Go's os/exec for certain features, e.g. for rendering of Pandoc documents if these binaries are found in the system %PATH% on Windows. However, if a malicious file with the same name (exe or bat) is found in the current working directory at the time of running hugo, the malicious command will be invoked instead of the system one. Windows users who run hugo inside untrusted Hugo sites are affected. Patches Users should upgrade to Hugo v0.79.1.

Published by the source

23 Jun 2021, 17:28 UTC

Last modified by the source

1 Feb 2023, 05:05 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 14:54 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-8j34-9876-pvfq

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2020-26284

Advisory: Hugo can execute a binary from the current directory on Windows
IDs: CVE-2020-26284, GHSA-8j34-9876-pvfq
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2020-26284 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 14:54 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.7)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: github.com/gohugoio/hugo 0.79.1. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/gohugoio/hugo: affected < 0.79.1; fixed in 0.79.1

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go github.com/gohugoio/hugo: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on github.com/gohugoio/hugo.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8j34-9876-pvfq (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-8j34-9876-pvfq lists affected ranges: Go github.com/gohugoio/hugo >=0 <0.79.1)

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