How severe is CVE-2026-35166?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-35166 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-35166?

CVE-2026-35166 affects the following packages: github.com/gohugoio/hugo (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2026-35166?

Update github.com/gohugoio/hugo to 0.159.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-35166 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-35166 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/gohugoio/hugo, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-35166 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2026-35166?

O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-35166 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Is CVE-2026-35166 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-35166 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2026-35166?

CVE-2026-35166 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.2%, placing it in the 8th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-35166?

CVE-2026-35166 is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2026-35166 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-35166 was published on April 6, 2026 and was last updated on August 12, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2026-35166 — hugo

CVE-2026-35166 is a Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in github.com/gohugoio/hugo. A fix is available for github.com/gohugoio/hugo — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Hugo does not properly escape some Markdown links

Also known asGHSA-mcv8-8m8x-48pgGO-2026-5504

Published

Apr 6, 2026

Updated

Aug 12, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Sep 18, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-35166.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs8th percentile — riskier than 8% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐹github.com/gohugoio/hugo

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Hugo is a static site generator. From 0.60.0 to before 0.159.2, links and image links in the default markdown to HTML renderer are not properly escaped. Hugo users who trust their Markdown content or have custom render hooks for links and images are not affected. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.159.2.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/gohugoio/hugo`	≥ 0.60.0&&< 0.159.2	0.159.2`go get github.com/gohugoio/hugo@v0.159.2`

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/gohugoio/hugo, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/gohugoio/hugo to 0.159.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-35166 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-35166 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Tailored to CVE-2026-35166. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatModerate

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat Hardened Images	`hugo-main-0.160.1-2.hum1`	RHSA-2026:7848

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2026-35166 in your dependencies?

O3 Security finds CVE-2026-35166 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works