Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-58443: Gitea: Public-only repository tokens can update private PR head branches
Public-only repository tokens can update private PR head branches
CVSS 9.1 Critical EPSS 0.6% · p47
Should you act?
Critical and remotely reachable
No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
- EPSS 0.6%, percentile 47: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 47% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
code.gitea.io/gitea(Go) < 1.27.0, fixed in 1.27.0. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
Public-only repository tokens can update private PR head branches
From the GitHub advisory
Summary Gitea allows a public-only,write:repository token to update a private pull request head branch through a public base repository route.
The vulnerable endpoint is:
Gitea checks the token's public-only restriction against the route repository, which is the public base repository. UpdatePullRequest() then authorizes the pull request head repository with ordinary user RBAC and calls the pull update service. If the head repository is private, the active token's public-only restriction is not re-applied to that private repository before Gitea pushes changes into it.
As a result, the same token that cannot directly write to the private repository can still cause Gitea to push public base commits into the private head branch.
Details The pull request API routes are attached under a repository route group. The public-only check applies to ctx.Repo.Repository, the route/base repository.
Weakness type: CWE-863.
Product: code.gitea.io/gitea (Go) · Assigned by: Gitea · Published: 2026-08-13
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | code.gitea.io/gitea | < 1.27.0 | 1.27.0 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Gitea | Gitea Open Source Git Server | <= 1.26.4 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADP | 3.1 | 9.1 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.6 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.58% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 47.
Timeline
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-xxjv-752h-3vp2 published (critical)
- — CVE record published by Gitea
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- GitHub Security Advisory github.com
- Gitea v1.27.0 Release github.com
- Gitea v1.27.0 Release Blog Post blog.gitea.com
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-xxjv-752h-3vp2 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-58443 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-58443 nvd.nist.gov