Improper Authentication in Gitea - CVE-2026-73278

 

Improper Authentication in Gitea - CVE-2026-73278

Published: August 15, 2026


Vulnerability identifier: #VU142695
CSH Severity: High
CVSS v4: 9.2 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-73278
CWE-ID: CWE-287
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability: No public exploit available

Vulnerability details

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to bypass webauthn-based second-factor authentication and gain a full authenticated session.

The vulnerability exists due to improper authentication in OAuth2 and OpenID Connect sign-in handlers when handling OAuth2 or OpenID Connect sign-in flows for accounts that use WebAuthn as their only configured second factor. A remote attacker can authenticate through an affected OAuth sign-in path to bypass webauthn-based second-factor authentication and gain a full authenticated session.

One affected sign-in path can also persist an external identity link to the victim account, which can extend access beyond a single session. Password-based login continued to enforce the WebAuthn challenge.


Affected software

Gitea

How to mitigate CVE-2026-73278

Install security update from vendor's website.

Gitea - update to 1.27.2

External References

Related Security Bulletins