GHSA-6CQF-375W-639G
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-07-21 20:40 – Updated: 2026-07-21 20:40Summary
Gitea's RSS/Atom feed handlers accept API-token Basic auth but perform no token-scope or
public-only enforcement. A personal access token that is correctly blocked (HTTP 403) from a
private repository on /raw, /media, /archive, and /releases/download/... — because it is
marked public-only or lacks the repository scope category — still returns that repository's
private content through the feed routes. This is a token-confinement bypass and appears to be an
incomplete fix of #37698, which added that scope enforcement to the download handlers but not to the
sibling feed handlers.
This is not a cross-user access bug: the requesting account must still legitimately have repo
read access (RepoAssignment + reqUnitCodeReader are enforced). What is bypassed is the guarantee
that a confined token cannot reach private content — which is exactly the property #37698 was
shipped to provide for downloads, and which matters when such a token is handed to a third-party
service/CI, leaked, or used in a lower-trust integration.
Details
37698 added context.CheckTokenScopes / CheckRepoScopedToken
(services/context/permission.go) to the raw / media / archive / attachment download handlers, so a
public-only or wrong-scope-category token cannot read private-repo content even when the owning user
otherwise has access.
The feed handlers are registered with webAuth.AllowBasic (so they accept token Basic auth) but call
no scope / public-only check. A grep for CheckTokenScopes / CheckRepoScopedToken / IsApiToken
across routers/web/feed/ and the release feed handlers returns nothing.
Affected routes (all token-reachable via webAuth.AllowBasic, none call the scope check):
| Route | Handler | Private data exposed |
|---|---|---|
GET /{owner}/{repo}.rss / .atom |
repo.Home → handleRepoHomeFeed (view_home.go) |
last-10 commits: SHA, full message, author name + email |
GET /{owner}/{repo}/rss/branch/*, /atom/branch/* |
feed.RenderBranchFeed* → ShowBranchFeed (routers/web/feed/branch.go) |
same commit data, any branch |
GET /{owner}/{repo}/releases.rss / .atom |
ReleasesFeedRSS/Atom (routers/web/repo/release.go) → ShowReleaseFeed |
private release names, notes, descriptions |
GET /{owner}/{repo}/tags.rss / .atom |
TagsListFeedRSS/Atom → ShowReleaseFeed |
private tag names + messages |
GET /{user}.rss / .atom |
showUserFeed (routers/web/feed/profile.go), includePrivate = self \|\| admin |
the token owner's private cross-repo activity stream |
Inconsistency that pins this down: the branch-feed routes sit in the same route group as /raw,
/media, /archive (all of which call checkDownloadTokenScope), and releases.rss sits next to
/releases/attachments/{uuid} and /releases/download/... (both go through ServeAttachment → scope
check). Only the feeds were missed. The API equivalents (ListReleases / ListTags) are scope-gated
via tokenRequiresScopes.
Two distinct confinement bypasses:
- Public-only bypass. A token created with the public-only option is blocked (403) from a
private repo on
/raw,/archive,/releases/download/..., but returns private commit / release data via.../releases.rss,.../rss/branch/*,/{owner}/{repo}.rss, and the owner's private activity via/{user}.rss. - Scope-category bypass. A token scoped to only e.g.
read:issue(noread:repository) is rejected by the download handlers but reads repository commit/release content via the feeds.
PoC
Verified live against the official gitea/gitea:1.26.2 Docker image (sqlite, feeds enabled).
Setup: non-admin user alice; private repo alice/secret with a commit
"SECRET-COMMIT-MARKER ..." (file secret.txt) and a release "Private Release" / body
"SECRET-RELEASE-MARKER ...". Two confined personal access tokens, both sent via HTTP Basic so the
auth method is identical across download and feed — only the route differs:
- Token A: scopes ["public-only", "read:repository"]
- Token B: scopes ["read:issue"]
# Token A — download is correctly blocked, feeds leak private content:
curl -u alice:$TOKEN_A https://<host>/alice/secret/raw/branch/main/secret.txt # => 403 (fix works)
curl -u alice:$TOKEN_A https://<host>/alice/secret/rss/branch/main # => 200, <title>SECRET-COMMIT-MARKER ...</title>
curl -u alice:$TOKEN_A https://<host>/alice/secret/releases.rss # => 200, SECRET-RELEASE-MARKER ...
curl -u alice:$TOKEN_A "https://<host>/alice.rss" # => 200, private activity
# Token B — wrong scope category, same split:
curl -u alice:$TOKEN_B https://<host>/alice/secret/raw/branch/main/secret.txt # => 403
curl -u alice:$TOKEN_B https://<host>/alice/secret/rss/branch/main # => 200, private commit leaked
Anonymous baseline returns 404 on the repo feeds (data is genuinely private) and a marker-free 200 on
/alice.rss (public activity only) — confirming the leak is gated only by the missing token check.
Impact
Information disclosure of private commit metadata (SHA, message, author name+email), release/tag notes, and the owner's private activity stream, to the holder of a confined token that was specifically configured not to reach private content. Not raw file blobs (feeds don't serve file contents). Requires a token belonging to an account that already has repo read access, so the realistic threat is a leaked / shared / lower-trust token rather than an anonymous attacker — which is precisely the threat model #37698 addressed for downloads.
Suggested remediation
Add a token-scope check at the top of each feed handler, mirroring checkDownloadTokenScope:
if context.CheckRepoScopedToken(ctx, ctx.Repo.Repository, auth_model.Read); ctx.Written() {
return
}
for ShowBranchFeed, ShowRepoFeed, ShowFileFeed, ShowReleaseFeed (repo feeds). For the user
feed, gate includePrivate behind a non-public-only token (or require the user / repository
scope) so a confined token can't pull private activity.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Go",
"name": "code.gitea.io/gitea"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "1.27.0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-50105"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-200",
"CWE-862"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-07-21T20:40:24Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "### Summary\n\nGitea\u0027s RSS/Atom feed handlers accept API-token Basic auth but perform **no token-scope or\npublic-only enforcement**. A personal access token that is correctly blocked (HTTP 403) from a\nprivate repository on `/raw`, `/media`, `/archive`, and `/releases/download/...` \u2014 because it is\nmarked *public-only* or lacks the `repository` scope category \u2014 still returns that repository\u0027s\nprivate content through the feed routes. This is a token-confinement bypass and appears to be an\nincomplete fix of #37698, which added that scope enforcement to the download handlers but not to the\nsibling feed handlers.\n\nThis is **not** a cross-user access bug: the requesting account must still legitimately have repo\nread access (`RepoAssignment` + `reqUnitCodeReader` are enforced). What is bypassed is the guarantee\nthat a *confined* token cannot reach private content \u2014 which is exactly the property #37698 was\nshipped to provide for downloads, and which matters when such a token is handed to a third-party\nservice/CI, leaked, or used in a lower-trust integration.\n\n### Details\n\n#37698 added `context.CheckTokenScopes` / `CheckRepoScopedToken`\n(`services/context/permission.go`) to the raw / media / archive / attachment download handlers, so a\npublic-only or wrong-scope-category token cannot read private-repo content even when the owning user\notherwise has access.\n\nThe feed handlers are registered with `webAuth.AllowBasic` (so they accept token Basic auth) but call\nno scope / public-only check. A grep for `CheckTokenScopes` / `CheckRepoScopedToken` / `IsApiToken`\nacross `routers/web/feed/` and the release feed handlers returns nothing.\n\nAffected routes (all token-reachable via `webAuth.AllowBasic`, none call the scope check):\n\n| Route | Handler | Private data exposed |\n|---|---|---|\n| `GET /{owner}/{repo}.rss` / `.atom` | `repo.Home` \u2192 `handleRepoHomeFeed` (`view_home.go`) | last-10 commits: SHA, full message, author name + email |\n| `GET /{owner}/{repo}/rss/branch/*`, `/atom/branch/*` | `feed.RenderBranchFeed*` \u2192 `ShowBranchFeed` (`routers/web/feed/branch.go`) | same commit data, any branch |\n| `GET /{owner}/{repo}/releases.rss` / `.atom` | `ReleasesFeedRSS/Atom` (`routers/web/repo/release.go`) \u2192 `ShowReleaseFeed` | private release names, notes, descriptions |\n| `GET /{owner}/{repo}/tags.rss` / `.atom` | `TagsListFeedRSS/Atom` \u2192 `ShowReleaseFeed` | private tag names + messages |\n| `GET /{user}.rss` / `.atom` | `showUserFeed` (`routers/web/feed/profile.go`), `includePrivate = self \\|\\| admin` | the token owner\u0027s private cross-repo activity stream |\n\nInconsistency that pins this down: the branch-feed routes sit in the **same route group** as `/raw`,\n`/media`, `/archive` (all of which call `checkDownloadTokenScope`), and `releases.rss` sits next to\n`/releases/attachments/{uuid}` and `/releases/download/...` (both go through `ServeAttachment` \u2192 scope\ncheck). Only the feeds were missed. The API equivalents (`ListReleases` / `ListTags`) are scope-gated\nvia `tokenRequiresScopes`.\n\nTwo distinct confinement bypasses:\n\n1. **Public-only bypass.** A token created with the *public-only* option is blocked (403) from a\n private repo on `/raw`, `/archive`, `/releases/download/...`, but returns private commit / release\n data via `.../releases.rss`, `.../rss/branch/*`, `/{owner}/{repo}.rss`, and the owner\u0027s private\n activity via `/{user}.rss`.\n2. **Scope-category bypass.** A token scoped to only e.g. `read:issue` (no `read:repository`) is\n rejected by the download handlers but reads repository commit/release content via the feeds.\n\n### PoC\n\nVerified live against the official `gitea/gitea:1.26.2` Docker image (sqlite, feeds enabled).\n\nSetup: non-admin user `alice`; private repo `alice/secret` with a commit\n`\"SECRET-COMMIT-MARKER ...\"` (file `secret.txt`) and a release `\"Private Release\"` / body\n`\"SECRET-RELEASE-MARKER ...\"`. Two confined personal access tokens, both sent via HTTP Basic so the\nauth method is identical across download and feed \u2014 only the route differs:\n- Token A: scopes `[\"public-only\", \"read:repository\"]`\n- Token B: scopes `[\"read:issue\"]`\n\n```bash\n# Token A \u2014 download is correctly blocked, feeds leak private content:\ncurl -u alice:$TOKEN_A https://\u003chost\u003e/alice/secret/raw/branch/main/secret.txt # =\u003e 403 (fix works)\ncurl -u alice:$TOKEN_A https://\u003chost\u003e/alice/secret/rss/branch/main # =\u003e 200, \u003ctitle\u003eSECRET-COMMIT-MARKER ...\u003c/title\u003e\ncurl -u alice:$TOKEN_A https://\u003chost\u003e/alice/secret/releases.rss # =\u003e 200, SECRET-RELEASE-MARKER ...\ncurl -u alice:$TOKEN_A \"https://\u003chost\u003e/alice.rss\" # =\u003e 200, private activity\n\n# Token B \u2014 wrong scope category, same split:\ncurl -u alice:$TOKEN_B https://\u003chost\u003e/alice/secret/raw/branch/main/secret.txt # =\u003e 403\ncurl -u alice:$TOKEN_B https://\u003chost\u003e/alice/secret/rss/branch/main # =\u003e 200, private commit leaked\n```\n\nAnonymous baseline returns 404 on the repo feeds (data is genuinely private) and a marker-free 200 on\n`/alice.rss` (public activity only) \u2014 confirming the leak is gated only by the missing token check.\n\n### Impact\n\nInformation disclosure of private **commit metadata** (SHA, message, author name+email),\n**release/tag notes**, and the owner\u0027s **private activity stream**, to the holder of a confined token\nthat was specifically configured *not* to reach private content. Not raw file blobs (feeds don\u0027t\nserve file contents). Requires a token belonging to an account that already has repo read access, so\nthe realistic threat is a leaked / shared / lower-trust token rather than an anonymous attacker \u2014\nwhich is precisely the threat model #37698 addressed for downloads.\n\n### Suggested remediation\n\nAdd a token-scope check at the top of each feed handler, mirroring `checkDownloadTokenScope`:\n\n```go\nif context.CheckRepoScopedToken(ctx, ctx.Repo.Repository, auth_model.Read); ctx.Written() {\n return\n}\n```\n\nfor `ShowBranchFeed`, `ShowRepoFeed`, `ShowFileFeed`, `ShowReleaseFeed` (repo feeds). For the user\nfeed, gate `includePrivate` behind a non-public-only token (or require the `user` / `repository`\nscope) so a confined token can\u0027t pull private activity.",
"id": "GHSA-6cqf-375w-639g",
"modified": "2026-07-21T20:40:24Z",
"published": "2026-07-21T20:40:24Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/security/advisories/GHSA-6cqf-375w-639g"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/releases/tag/v1.27.0"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "Gitea: RSS/Atom feed handlers bypass API-token scope \u0026 public-only confinement (incomplete fix of #37698)"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.