CVE-2026-20897 Gitea Git LFS Lock Deletion Broken Access Control (Cross-Repo IDOR)

Critical 9.1 Published Updated

An attacker with write access to one repository can delete Git LFS locks in other repositories due to missing ownership validation.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Not needed
Attackable
Over the internet
Victim action needed
Not needed
Fix
Available

What is CVE-2026-20897?

CVE-2026-20897 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Gitea Gitea, published on 22 Jan 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Gitea does not properly validate repository ownership when deleting Git LFS locks. A user with write access to one repository may be able to delete LFS locks belonging to other repositories.

Weakness: CWE-639, CWE-284

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20897?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/go-gitea/gitea, gitea and code.gitea.io/gitea. It affects 1 product.

PackageAffectedFixed in
github.com/go-gitea/gitea GoAll versions1.25.4
github.com/go-gitea/gitea GoAll versions1.25.4
gitea BitnamiAll versions1.25.4
code.gitea.io/gitea GoAll versions1.25.4

Products include Gitea Gitea.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20897?

Upgrade github.com/go-gitea/gitea to 1.25.4 or later.

Upgrade, and check permissions on every request on the server, not only in the interface. More about Missing authorization.

Is CVE-2026-20897 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20897 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Gitea Gitea vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as BIT-gitea-2026-20897, GHSA-393c-qgvj-3xph, GHSA-rrq5-r9h5-pc7c, GO-2026-4363.

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