Hugo's Node tool execution allows file system access outside the project directory

Exploitation

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

CVSS 4.0

6.2 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U · score source

EPSS

• CVE-2026-44301: 0.27% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 19.83 (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 When building a Hugo site that uses Node-based asset pipelines (PostCSS, Babel, TailwindCSS), Hugo invoked the configured Node tools without restrictions on file system access. As a result, executing hugo against an untrusted site could allow code running through these tools to read or write files outside the project's working directory. Users who do not use PostCSS, Babel, or TailwindCSS, or who only build trusted sites, are not affected. Patches From v0.161.0, Hugo runs Node tools under Node's permission model with strict defaults: No write access and only read access to the site source directories and files. Workarounds Block these tools in security.exec.allow.

Published by the source

6 May 2026, 20:59 UTC

Last modified by the source

13 May 2026, 16:42 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:22 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-x597-9fr4-5857

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-44301

Advisory: Hugo's Node tool execution allows file system access outside the project directory
IDs: CVE-2026-44301, GHSA-x597-9fr4-5857
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-44301 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:22 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.2)
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 0.161.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/gohugoio/hugo: affected >= 0.43.0, < 0.161.0; fixed in 0.161.0

## 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-x597-9fr4-5857 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-x597-9fr4-5857 lists affected ranges: Go github.com/gohugoio/hugo >=0.43.0 <0.161.0)

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