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CVE-2026-20736 Gitea CVE debrief

CVE-2026-20736 is a HIGH-severity vulnerability in Gitea, a popular open-source software development platform. The issue arises from Gitea's improper verification of repository context when deleting attachments. Specifically, a user who previously uploaded an attachment to a repository may still be able to delete it after losing access to that repository by making the request through a different repository they can access. This vulnerability was published on January 22, 2026, and modified on June 30, 2026. The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score for this vulnerability is 7.5, indicating a high level of severity. The CVSS vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N, which suggests that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely with low attack complexity and no privileges or user interaction required.

Vendor
Gitea
Product
Gitea Open Source Git Server
CVSS
HIGH 7.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-01-22
Original CVE updated
2026-06-30
Advisory published
2026-01-22
Advisory updated
2026-06-30

Who should care

Organizations using Gitea for software development and version control should prioritize patching this vulnerability. Specifically, users with administrative access to Gitea repositories should be aware of the potential for unauthorized attachment deletion. Additionally, security teams responsible for monitoring and patching vulnerabilities in development tools should include CVE-2026-20736 in their risk assessment and remediation plans.

Technical summary

The vulnerability in Gitea allows an attacker to delete attachments from a repository they no longer have access to by exploiting the lack of proper repository context verification. This could lead to unintended data loss or manipulation. The issue is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely without requiring any privileges or user interaction. The CVSS score of 7.5 reflects the high severity of this vulnerability, which could have significant impacts on the integrity and availability of data stored in Gitea repositories.

Defensive priority

High priority should be given to patching Gitea installations to address this vulnerability. Organizations should review their Gitea configurations and ensure that all users with access to repositories are aware of the potential risks and limitations of the current implementation.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply the patch: Upgrade to Gitea version 1.25.4 or later to fix the vulnerability.
  • Review repository access: Ensure that users only have access to the repositories they need to manage.
  • Monitor repository activity: Regularly monitor repository activity for any suspicious attachment deletion requests.
  • Implement compensating controls: Consider implementing additional security controls, such as restricting attachment deletion to users with administrative access.
  • Update incident response plans: Review and update incident response plans to include procedures for responding to potential exploitation of this vulnerability.

Evidence notes

The CVE-2026-20736 vulnerability was published on January 22, 2026, and modified on June 30, 2026. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.5 and a CVSS vector of CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N. The vulnerability affects Gitea versions prior to 1.25.4.

Official resources

This article is AI-assisted and based on the supplied source corpus.