CVE-2026-118386
Description
A flaw was found in Gitea. An authenticated user with read access can achieve arbitrary code execution and access sensitive repository credentials by submitting a pull request review that references an unverified commit containing malicious workflow definitions. Because the commit is not validated against the reviewed pull request, unauthorized workflows run automatically on continuous integration runners without required approvals, exposing repository secrets and granting write permissions.
Statement
Red Hat has rated this vulnerability as Important rather than Moderate because an authenticated user with low privileges can trigger arbitrary code execution on CI runners, leading to token exfiltration and write-level repository compromise. In Red Hat environments, the affected Gitea package is distributed primarily as an embedded dependency within Pipelines as Code components rather than as a hosted server. Direct exposure is therefore limited to environments hosting vulnerable Gitea instances with active Actions runners, while typical Red Hat pipeline controllers acting strictly as client integrations do not process these workflow review events.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
An attacker could insert malicious functionality into the program by causing the program to download code that the attacker has placed into the untrusted control sphere, such as a malicious web site. This could enable the injection of malware, information exposure by granting excessive privileges or permissions to the untrusted functionality, DOM-based XSS vulnerabilities, stealing user's cookies, open redirect to malware (CWE-601), etc.
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