CVE-2026-96404 Gitea installer authentication bypass for existing accounts
Attackers can bypass authentication and gain administrative access by submitting the installer form with an existing username when the install lock is disabled.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-96404?
CVE-2026-96404 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Gitea Gitea, published on 6 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official 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.
Weakness: CWE-287
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-96404?
1 open source package ship an affected version, including gitea. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
gitea Bitnami | All versions | 28.0.0 |
Products include Gitea Gitea.
How do I fix CVE-2026-96404?
Upgrade gitea to 28.0.0 or later.
Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.
Is CVE-2026-96404 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-96404 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Gitea Gitea
Sources
Also known as BIT-gitea-2026-96404, GHSA-9h7g-h754-c8x2, MINI-g7fp-pr7m-c43g, MINI-h83v-58w6-48jh.