# CVE-2026-97859: Gitea API disclosure of private user social graph, keys and stars

> Authenticated users can view private social graph and keys of restricted users due to missing authorization checks in Gitea API routes.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xvfh-qwmh-f92w

## What is CVE-2026-97859?

CVE-2026-97859 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Gitea, published on 18 Oct 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Seven Gitea API routes under `/api/v1/users/{username}` (followers, following, following/{target}, starred, subscriptions, keys and gpg_keys) were registered without the `individualPermsChecker` middleware that enforces the visibility of the target user. An authenticated user could therefore read the followers, following list, starred and watched repositories and public SSH and GPG keys of a user with limited or private visibility, whom they could not otherwise see. The issue was fixed in 1.27.3 and 28.0.0 and disclosed with 28.2.0.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97859?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97859?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-97859 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-97859 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97859 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Cybersecurity assignment on CVE-2026-97859, severity analysis, patching, and the Cyber Kill Chain. (github_poc): https://github.com/ahiamaduuche-sys/CVE-2026-97859-Analysis
- Cybersecurity assignment on CVE-2026-97859, severity analysis, patching, and the Cyber Kill Chain. (github_poc): https://github.com/ahiamaduuche-sys/CVE-2026-97859-Cybersecurity-Analysis
- Cybersecurity assignment on CVE-2026-97859, severity analysis, patching, and the Cyber Kill Chain. (github_poc): https://github.com/ahiamaduuche-sys/CVE-2026-97859-CYB-Analysis

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97859 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97859 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Gitea, published on 18 Oct 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97859 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Gitea. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97859/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97859/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97859
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97859
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97859

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97859/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.