CVE-2026-100691: hugo XSS — Fix

Description

Hugo versions 0.75.0 through 0.165.x contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability: the syntax highlighter does not escape the `lineAnchors` option before passing it to Chroma, which writes the value verbatim into the `id` and `href` attributes of the generated line-number markup. A crafted `lineAnchors` value supplied as a Markdown code fence attribute (or passed to the `highlight` template function) results in unescaped HTML in the rendered page, allowing arbitrary JavaScript to execute in the browsers of visitors to the generated site. This affects sites that build and publish Markdown from untrusted contributors; Hugo's security model otherwise considers content trusted input. Fixed in 0.166.0, where the `lineAnchors` value is HTML-escaped before being passed to Chroma.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.4

MEDIUM

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0017

Probability of exploitation

0.06%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-79 Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
gohugo	hugo	0.75.0 — 0.166.0

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/security/advisories/GHSA-q4xf-287f-98r8

Other References

https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hugo-before-0.166.0-stored-xss-via-lineanchors-code-block-option

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-100691? +

Hugo versions 0.75.0 through 0.165.x contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability: the syntax highlighter does not escape the `lineAnchors` option before passing it to Chroma, which writes the value verbatim into the `id` and `href` attributes of the generated line-number markup. A crafted `lineAnchors` value supplied as a Markdown code fence attribute (or passed to the `highlight` template function) results in unescaped HTML in the rendered page, allowing arbitrary JavaScript to execute in the browsers of visitors to the generated site. This affects sites that build and publish Markdown from untrusted contributors; Hugo's security model otherwise considers content trusted input. Fixed in 0.166.0, where the `lineAnchors` value is HTML-escaped before being passed to Chroma. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-100691? +

CVE-2026-100691 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.4 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0017, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-100691? +

CVE-2026-100691 affects products from gohugo, specifically: hugo. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-100691? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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CVE-2026-100691