# CVE-2026-97042: Linker flag injection via cgo_import_dynamic and PE DLL names in cmd/cgo, cmd/compile, and cmd/link

Status: published. Published: 2026-11-11. Updated: 2026-11-11.

Building a malicious package that uses "//go:cgo_import_dynamic" or links against a crafted PE object on Windows could pass unsafe library arguments to the external linker. The compiler only checked the first character of the library name in "//go:cgo_import_dynamic" directives and skipped validation in cgo-generated files. In addition, on Windows, "cmd/cgo" and "cmd/link" did not validate imported DLL names extracted from PE object files before emitting "-l<name>" flags for the external linker, allowing a crafted DLL name containing ".." path traversal or special characters to reference arbitrary files on disk. The compiler now validates every character of the library name in "//go:cgo_import_dynamic" directives (including in cgo-generated files on Windows) and rejects ".." path traversal, and "cmd/cgo" and "cmd/link" reject PE imported DLL names containing path separators, "..", ":", or leading "-" or "@".

## Remediation

No remediation reported in collected sources

## Affected products and versions

- Go toolchain / cmd/cgo (cmd/cgo): ≥ 0; < 1.26.11 (affected, semver); ≥ 1.27.0-0; < 1.27.4 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: Go
- Go toolchain / cmd/compile (cmd/compile): ≥ 0; < 1.26.11 (affected, semver); ≥ 1.27.0-0; < 1.27.4 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: Go
- Go toolchain / cmd/link (cmd/link): ≥ 0; < 1.26.11 (affected, semver); ≥ 1.27.0-0; < 1.27.4 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: Go

## Severity and prioritization

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: Not available

- SSVC: Not available

- Weaknesses: CWE-88

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://go.dev/cl/862155 (CNA: Go)

- https://go.dev/issue/82568 (CNA: Go)

- https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/iY8TY0wWgbM (CNA: Go)

- https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2026-6849 (CNA: Go)

## Provenance

- CNA: Go: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97042; retrieved 2026-11-11; source updated 2026-11-11

Revision: 3339056d08e7e6670b1d7153cd196d39d40995f2b30961722cb1fbfac91fef60

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-97042

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