# CVE-2026-35166: GO-2026-5504 - Hugo: Certain markdown links are not properly escaped in github.com/gohugoio/hugo

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-35166-hugo-certain-markdown-links-are-not-properly-escaped  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-04-06  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-35166 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.4 · Published 2026-04-06

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.

Technologies: [github.com/gohugoio/hugo (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-gohugoio-hugo). Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-35166 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-35166 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-35166?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.4, published 6 April 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/gohugoio/hugo (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0.60.0,fixed=0.159.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-35166?** Yes. github.com/gohugoio/hugo (Go): upgrade to 0.159.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-35166?** Check whether you run github.com/gohugoio/hugo (Go) or Gohugo Hugo at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- github.com/gohugoio/hugo (Go): upgrade to 0.159.2 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/gohugoio/hugo@v0.159.2
  ```


## Affected products

- github.com/gohugoio/hugo (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0.60.0,fixed=0.159.2
- Gohugo Hugo

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-35166
- GHSA-mcv8-8m8x-48pg
- GO-2026-5504

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