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Gitea API token scope escalation through HTTP signatures

Type: advisorySources: OSV

Gitea allows a token with write:user scope to register an attacker-controlled SSH public key on the token owner's account. API requests signed with the corresponding private key authenticate as that account through HTTP Signature without API token scope information, causing route-level token scope checks to be skipped. This converts a user-scoped token into an unscoped API authentication method while retaining the account's normal role and repository permissions.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2026-73804
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
4 Nov 2026, 20:32 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

Gitea API token scope escalation through HTTP signatures

core-osv · Original source

Published 14 Oct 2026, 14:38 UTC

Gitea allows a token with write:user scope to register an attacker-controlled SSH public key on the token owner's account. API requests signed with the corresponding private key authenticate as that account through HTTP Signature without API token scope information, causing route-level token scope checks to be skipped. This converts a user-scoped token into an unscoped API authentication method while retaining the account's normal role and repository permissions.

osv:CVE-2026-73804
Complete source record
{
  "id": "37f051b603dbe302a19e298990b9ef4491aebaade7f777a995c2938677eb9546",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-73804",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "Gitea API token scope escalation through HTTP signatures",
    "summary": "Gitea allows a token with write:user scope to register an attacker-controlled SSH public key on the token owner's account. API requests signed with the corresponding private key authenticate as that account through HTTP Signature without API token scope information, causing route-level token scope checks to be skipped. This converts a user-scoped token into an unscoped API authentication method while retaining the account's normal role and repository permissions.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2026-73804",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2026-73804",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2026-73804",
        "GHSA-q55v-4cmj-xh65"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "1dac1bb2f8593d4319125fa6bca9283000a2ddc2"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "0"
                      },
                      {
                        "last_affected": "1.26.4"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "AFFECTED_FIELD",
                    "strategy": "StandardRange"
                  },
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "fixed": "1dac1bb2f8593d4319125fa6bca9283000a2ddc2"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_TAG",
                    "original_tag": "v1.27.2"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "v1.27.1",
            "v1.27.0",
            "v1.27.0-rc0",
            "v1.28.0-dev",
            "v1.27.0-dev",
            "v1.26.0-dev",
            "v1.25.0-dev",
            "v1.24.0-dev",
            "v1.22.0-rc1",
            "v1.23.0-dev",
            "v1.22.0-rc0",
            "v1.21.0-rc0",
            "v1.22.0-dev",
            "v1.20.0-rc0",
            "v1.21.0-dev",
            "v1.20.0-dev",
            "v1.19.0-rc0",
            "v1.18.0-rc0",
            "v1.19.0-dev",
            "v1.18.0-dev",
            "v1.17.0-dev",
            "v1.16.0-rc1",
            "v1.15.0-rc1",
            "v1.16.0-dev",
            "v1.15.0-dev",
            "v1.14.0-dev",
            "v1.13.0-dev",
            "v1.12.0-dev",
            "v1.10.5",
            "v1.11.0-rc1",
            "v1.10.0-rc1",
            "v1.11.0-dev",
            "v1.9.0-rc1",
            "v1.10.0-dev",
            "v1.9.0-dev",
            "v1.7.0-dev",
            "v1.6.0-rc1",
            "v1.6.0-dev",
            "v1.5.0-rc1",
            "v1.5.0-dev",
            "v1.1.0",
            "v1.0.0",
            "v0.9.99"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-73804.json"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-28T02:30:38.993535825Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://blog.gitea.com/release-of-1.27.2/",
        "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/73xxx/CVE-2026-73804.json",
        "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/releases/tag/v1.27.2",
        "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/security/advisories/GHSA-q55v-4cmj-xh65",
        "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-73804",
        "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/38862",
        "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/38895"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "cwe_ids": [
          "CWE-266",
          "CWE-863"
        ],
        "cna_assigner": "Gitea",
        "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/73xxx/CVE-2026-73804.json"
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2026-73804",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 506718,
  "published_at": "2026-10-14T14:38:00.292+00:00"
}