Account takeover via TOTP-only external sign-in checks
Published Oct 6, 2026 · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Authentication bypass in Gitea 1.16.0 through 1.27.1 allows remote attackers to obtain a full session via OAuth2 or OpenID Connect sign-in. The OAuth callback and account-link handlers check TOTP enrollment but omit separately stored WebAuthn credentials before issuing a session. Exploitation requires access to a linked external identity or the account-link flow and affects accounts with WebAuthn as their sole second factor; account linking can persist access.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in Gitea 1.16.0 through 1.27.1 allows remote attackers to obtain a full session via OAuth2 or OpenID Connect sign-in. The OAuth callback and account-link handlers check TOTP enrollment but omit separately stored WebAuthn credentials before issuing a session. Exploitation requires access to a linked external identity or the account-link flow and affects accounts with WebAuthn as their sole second factor; account linking can persist access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-73278
- Published
- Oct 6, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 6, 2026
- Vendor
- Gitea
- Product
- Gitea
- Classifications
- CWE-287, T1078
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 6, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 6, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.16.0 <=1.27.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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