Missing authorization in Gitea API exposes user follows and keys
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-862.
Summary
Gitea through 1.27.2 has seven API routes under the users endpoint that skip the visibility check for the target user (CWE-862). An authenticated user can read the followers, following list, starred and watched repositories, and public SSH and GPG keys of users with limited or private visibility that they could not otherwise see.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Description from the CNA
Seven Gitea API routes under `/api/v1/users/{username}` (followers, following, following/{target}, starred, subscriptions, keys and gpg_keys) were registered without the `individualPermsChecker` middleware that enforces the visibility of the target user. An authenticated user could therefore read the followers, following list, starred and watched repositories and public SSH and GPG keys of a user with limited or private visibility, whom they could not otherwise see. The issue was fixed in 1.27.3 and 28.0.0 and disclosed with 28.2.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
The fixed Gitea versions are 1.27.3 and 28.0.0.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-97859
- 2026-10-20 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
- 2026-10-20 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
More Gitea vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-42785 Gitea before 1.27.1 allows remote code execution via the diffpatch API through Git hook installation. KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-42033 Improper authorization on OAuth sign-in callback silently re-enables administrator-disabled accounts CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-40842 Privilege Escalation via Access Token Scope Escalation in API CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-16922 Gitea Docker image trusts spoofable reverse-proxy headers by default CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-42043 Team-repository linking endpoint bypasses the RepoAdminChangeTeamAccess organization setting CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-40381 OIDC userinfo Endpoint Returns Identity Claims Without Enforcing API Token Scopes CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences