CVE-2026-97039
Flag sanitization bypass via "#cgo pkg-config:" directives in cmd/go
Description
Building a malicious package that uses "#cgo pkg-config:" directives could load untrusted pkg-config ".pc" files or inject unvalidated compiler and linker flags. The pkg-config flag allowlist previously permitted "--with-path=" and "--personality=", allowed "--define-variable=" values beginning with "=" or "$" (which can rewrite paths in system ".pc" files into sysroot-prefixed "-L=" or "-L$SYSROOT" linker search paths), and allowed package arguments ending in ".pc" or containing path separators or "..", which caused pkg-config to load local ".pc" files directly from the package directory. In addition, flags returned by "pkg-config --cflags" in cgoCPPFLAGS were not checked when determining whether internal linking is safe. The go command now disallows "--with-path=", "--personality=", leading "=" or "$" characters in "--define-variable=" values, and local ".pc" paths in "#cgo pkg-config:" directives, and inspects cgoCPPFLAGS when checking internal linking compatibility.
INFO
Published Date :
Nov. 11, 2026, 5:19 a.m.
Last Modified :
Nov. 11, 2026, 5:19 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Solution
- Update the Go toolchain to the latest version.
- Review and sanitize external package dependencies.
- Validate compiler and linker flags carefully.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-97039.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://go.dev/cl/862152 | |
| https://go.dev/issue/82571 | |
| https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/iY8TY0wWgbM | |
| https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2026-6852 |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-97039 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-97039
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-97039 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-97039 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by [email protected]
Nov. 11, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Building a malicious package that uses "#cgo pkg-config:" directives could load untrusted pkg-config ".pc" files or inject unvalidated compiler and linker flags. The pkg-config flag allowlist previously permitted "--with-path=" and "--personality=", allowed "--define-variable=" values beginning with "=" or "$" (which can rewrite paths in system ".pc" files into sysroot-prefixed "-L=" or "-L$SYSROOT" linker search paths), and allowed package arguments ending in ".pc" or containing path separators or "..", which caused pkg-config to load local ".pc" files directly from the package directory. In addition, flags returned by "pkg-config --cflags" in cgoCPPFLAGS were not checked when determining whether internal linking is safe. The go command now disallows "--with-path=", "--personality=", leading "=" or "$" characters in "--define-variable=" values, and local ".pc" paths in "#cgo pkg-config:" directives, and inspects cgoCPPFLAGS when checking internal linking compatibility. Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/97xxx/CVE-2026-97039.json">CVE-2026-97039</a> Added Reference https://go.dev/cl/862152 Added Reference https://go.dev/issue/82571 Added Reference https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/iY8TY0wWgbM Added Reference https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2026-6852