How severe is CVE-2026-96404?

CVE-2026-96404 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2026-96404 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (37th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-96404?

CVE-2026-96404 affects Gitea. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-96404?

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

When was CVE-2026-96404 published?

CVE-2026-96404 was published on 2026-10-06 and last updated on 2026-10-13.

CVE-2026-96404

CVE-2026-96404 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gitea with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1. 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: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.1)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (37th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Gitea
Published: 2026-10-06
Last modified: 2026-10-13

Description

When Gitea's web installer is reachable against a database that already contains users, such as after `INSTALL_LOCK` has been reset to `false`, submitting the install form with an administrator username matching an existing account issued an authenticated session for that account without verifying its password. If the account is an administrator, the session grants full administrative access, including changing the account's password. Databases with a single user also did not require the reinstall confirmation.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-96404?: When Gitea's web installer is reachable against a database that already contains users, such as after `INSTALL_LOCK` has been reset to `false`, submitting the install form with an administrator username matching an existing account issued an authenticated session for that account without verifying its password. If the account is an administrator, the session grants full administrative access, including changing the account's password. Databases with a single user also did not require the reinstall confirmation.
How severe is CVE-2026-96404?: CVE-2026-96404 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-96404 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (37th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-96404?: CVE-2026-96404 affects Gitea. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-96404?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2026-96404 published?: CVE-2026-96404 was published on 2026-10-06 and last updated on 2026-10-13.

References

Affected products (1)

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

More vulnerabilities in Gitea

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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-2021-45331 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An Authentication Bypass vulnerability exists in Gitea before 1.5.0, which could let a malicious user gain privileges.…
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…

All CVEs affecting Gitea →

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2026-108907 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability was determined in Netcore NR268 1.7.121109. Affected is the function user_ok of the component CGI…
CVE-2026-101077 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A flaw has been found in Netcore NR289-GE 1.4.5102. This impacts the function process_request of the component boa_temp…
CVE-2026-100886 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability was identified in Seetong T8108, T8108P, T8116 and T8232 4.6.1.4-build202604241011. The affected…
CVE-2026-77244 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): MCP Atlassian is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Atlassian products (Confluence and Jira). Prior to 0.22.0,…
CVE-2026-94493 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability was detected in Gigatech PDV5701 1.0.31_240305_112640. This issue affects some unknown processing of…

Browse all CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

117.24.243.99 (ipv4-addr)