CVE-2026-59774

Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

File Read Vulnerability in Gitea Org-mode Renderer

Publication date: 2026-10-14

Last updated on: 2026-10-15

Assigner: Gitea Limited

Description

Gitea's Org-mode markup renderer processes INCLUDE directives supplied to the repository markup endpoint without preventing access to server-side files. An unauthenticated attacker can use a suitable public repository to read files accessible to the Gitea service account. If the disclosed files include app.ini and its INTERNAL_TOKEN, the attacker can chain the disclosure with internal logger access to modify a Git hook and execute commands as the Gitea service account.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-14

Last Modified

2026-10-15

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-15

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-18

NVD

CVE-2026-59774

EUVD

EUVD-2026-101281

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Gitea	Gitea	1.22

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-22	The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is an arbitrary file read flaw in Gitea and Forgejo products. It occurs when the Org-mode markup renderer processes #+INCLUDE directives in public repositories. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this to read sensitive files on the server, such as app.ini containing INTERNAL_TOKEN. If exploited, it may lead to remote code execution as the Gitea service account.

Detection Guidance

Check Gitea version with: curl -s http://localhost:3000/api/v1/version | grep version. If version is between 1.22.1 and 1.27.0, the system is vulnerable. Inspect Org-mode files in public repositories for #+INCLUDE directives pointing to sensitive paths like /etc/passwd or app.ini.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could read sensitive files on the server, including configuration files with tokens. This could allow them to inject malicious Git hooks and execute arbitrary commands as the Gitea service account. The impact includes data breaches, unauthorized code execution, and potential compromise of the entire Gitea instance.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating GDPR's data protection principles and HIPAA's security requirements. It may result in data breaches, non-compliance penalties, and loss of trust due to exposure of protected health or personal information.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Gitea to version 1.27.1 or later immediately. Disable Org-mode rendering for public repositories if not required. Restrict access to the /{owner}/{repo}/markup endpoint. Review and remove any exposed INTERNAL_TOKEN from app.ini and audit Git hooks for unauthorized modifications.

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