CVE-2026-60004: Gitea Code Injection Vulnerability

Should you act?

Exploited: patch now if you run it

CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• Yes, if you run Gitea Gitea. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-08-25, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2026-08-28; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
• EPSS 24.0%, percentile 98: FIRST’s model estimates a 24.0% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 98% of all scored CVEs (very high). 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 gitea.dev (Go) >= 1.17.0, < 1.27.1, fixed in 1.27.1. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
• Editorial verdict: Act now. Gitea CVE-2026-60004: Exploited RCE via diffpatch API — Upgrade every self-hosted Gitea below 1.27.1 today and close open registration; automated attacks sign up, create a repo and get a shell in seconds, and a proof of concept is public.

What it is

Gitea before 1.27.1 allows remote code execution via the diffpatch API through Git hook installation.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary

Gitea's diffpatch endpoint can be abused to install and execute a Git hook from repository-controlled content.

An attacker with ordinary write access to a repository can execute arbitrary shell commands as the Gitea OS user. With default open registration, an unauthenticated visitor can obtain the required write access by registering an account and creating a repository.

Details

services/repository/files/patch.go applies attacker-controlled patches in a shared bare temporary clone:

CISA’s summary

Gitea contains a code injection vulnerability that allows an attacker with repository write access to send a malicious patch to the diffpatch API endpoint to plant an executable Git hook and run shell commands as the Gitea service account.

Weakness type: CWE-94.

Product: Gitea Gitea · Assigned by: mitre · Published: 2026-08-26

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• 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: added 2026-08-25; federal due date 2026-08-28. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
• CISA required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 23.99% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 98.

Timeline

• 2026-07-27 — erroneo.us brief: Gitea CVE-2026-60004: Exploited RCE via diffpatch API
• 2026-08-25 — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
• 2026-08-26 — CVE record published by mitre
• 2026-08-28 — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
• 2026-09-08 — CVE record last updated
• 2026-09-08 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-rcr6-4jqh-j84m published (critical)

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

1. Listed in CISA KEV notes (github.com) github.com

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-rcr6-4jqh-j84m github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-60004 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-60004 nvd.nist.gov

Government

1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entry cisa.gov
2. Listed in CISA KEV notes (cisa.gov) cisa.gov
3. Listed in CISA KEV notes (cisa.gov) cisa.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. blog.gitea.com blog.gitea.com
2. runzero.com runzero.com
3. github.com github.com
4. github.com github.com
5. github.com github.com
6. github.com github.com
7. github.com github.com
8. github.com github.com

All exploited Gitea vulnerabilities · Critical Go advisories · Today’s Security Digest