Gitea: API Fork Missing CanCreateOrgRepo Check Allows Org Secret Exfiltration

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

8.1 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-22555: 0.39% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 32.81 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary The API endpoint POST /api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/forks only checks IsOrgMember() when a user forks a repository into an organization, but does not check CanCreateOrgRepo(). The web UI fork handler correctly checks both. This allows a read-only organization member — in a team with cancreateorgrepo=false — to create repositories in the organization namespace via the API. The attacker receives full admin permissions on the forked repository, can enable Actions, push arbitrary workflow files, and exfiltrate all organization-level CI/CD secrets (deploy keys, cloud credentials, API tokens) through the runner infrastructure. Steps To Reproduce 1. Environment setup Start a Gitea instance with Actions enabled: 2. Create the target environment (as admin) 3. Register an Actions runner 4. Verify attacker CANNOT create repos in the org (expected: 403) 5. Exploit: Fork into the org via API (THE BYPASS) The attacker now has admin+push access to an org-owned repository, despite being in a…

Published by the source

17 Jun 2026, 18:08 UTC

Last modified by the source

17 Jun 2026, 18:08 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:24 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-fhx7-m96w-mv29

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-22555

Advisory: Gitea: API Fork Missing CanCreateOrgRepo Check Allows Org Secret Exfiltration
IDs: CVE-2026-22555, GHSA-fhx7-m96w-mv29
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-22555 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:24 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: code.gitea.io/gitea 1.26.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go code.gitea.io/gitea: affected < 1.26.0; fixed in 1.26.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go code.gitea.io/gitea: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on code.gitea.io/gitea.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-fhx7-m96w-mv29 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-fhx7-m96w-mv29 lists affected ranges: Go code.gitea.io/gitea >=0 <1.26.0)

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