CVE-2026-59766 Gitea CVE debrief

Who should care

Gitea administrators and users who manage access to private repositories should assess exposure and verify mitigation. Defenders should prioritize verifying and mitigating this vulnerability in Gitea instances, especially where user access is frequently revoked, to prevent unauthorized metadata disclosure. Gitea administrators need to monitor repository metadata access to detect potential exploitation and review compensating controls for exposed systems.

Why it matters

Defenders should prioritize verifying and mitigating this vulnerability in Gitea instances, especially where user access is frequently revoked, to prevent unauthorized metadata disclosure.

• Defenders must verify Gitea instance vulnerability and mitigate access revocation issues to prevent unauthorized metadata disclosure.
• Gitea administrators need to monitor repository metadata access to detect potential exploitation.

Technical summary

Gitea's starred-repository and tracked-time API endpoints do not re-check current repository permissions before returning data associated with the requesting user, allowing users whose access to a private repository has been revoked to retrieve repository metadata. This vulnerability affects Gitea instances where user access is frequently revoked, and defenders should prioritize verifying and mitigating this issue to prevent unauthorized metadata disclosure. The vulnerability is related to the way Gitea handles repository permissions and access revocation.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying and mitigating this vulnerability in Gitea instances, especially where user access is frequently revoked.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify Gitea instance vulnerability
• Mitigate access revocation issues
• Monitor repository metadata access
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets
• Plan vendor-supported updates or mitigations through normal change control

Evidence notes

The CVE record and source item provide details on the vulnerability, but the impact and remediation require verification from official sources. The disclosure depends on relationships or tracked-time entries created before access was revoked, and defenders should verify Gitea instance vulnerability and mitigate access revocation issues. Official sources, such as the CVE Program record and NIST NVD detail page, should be consulted for further information.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.