How severe is CVE-2021-45331?

CVE-2021-45331 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-45331 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-45331?

CVE-2021-45331 affects Gitea. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-45331?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2021-45331 published?

CVE-2021-45331 was published on 2022-02-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-45331

CVE-2021-45331 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Gitea with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (67th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Gitea
Published: 2022-02-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An Authentication Bypass vulnerability exists in Gitea before 1.5.0, which could let a malicious user gain privileges. If captured, the TOTP code for the 2FA can be submitted correctly more than once.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-45331?: An Authentication Bypass vulnerability exists in Gitea before 1.5.0, which could let a malicious user gain privileges. If captured, the TOTP code for the 2FA can be submitted correctly more than once.
How severe is CVE-2021-45331?: CVE-2021-45331 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-45331 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-45331?: CVE-2021-45331 affects Gitea. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-45331?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-45331 published?: CVE-2021-45331 was published on 2022-02-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gitea:gitea:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Gitea

CVE-2022-42968 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Gitea before 1.17.3 does not sanitize and escape refs in the git backend. Arguments to git commands are mishandled.
CVE-2021-45330 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue exsits in Gitea through 1.15.7, which could let a malicious user gain privileges due to client side cookies…
CVE-2021-45327 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Gitea before 1.11.2 is affected by Trusting HTTP Permission Methods on the Server Side when referencing the vulnerable…
CVE-2020-28991 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Gitea 0.9.99 through 1.12.x before 1.12.6 does not prevent a git protocol path that specifies a TCP port number and…
CVE-2019-11576 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Gitea before 1.8.0 allows 1FA for user accounts that have completed 2FA enrollment. If a user's credentials are known,…
CVE-2018-18926 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Gitea before 1.5.4 allows remote code execution because it does not properly validate session IDs. This is related to…

All CVEs affecting Gitea →

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-45480 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Active Directory allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
CVE-2026-46389 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): UDS Identity Config builds the Keycloak configuration image (realm, plugins, theme, truststore, JARs) consumed by UDS…
CVE-2026-10611 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in MISP when LDAP mixed authentication is enabled with OTP enforcement.…
CVE-2026-47280 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Resource Manager (ARM) allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a…
CVE-2026-42822 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Local Disconnected Operations allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges…
CVE-2026-20182 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and…

Browse all CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities →