# CVE-2026-116474: Gitea Actions job token privilege escalation via GPG key registration

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116474-the-gitea-token-of-a-gitea-actions-job-authenticates-as-the  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-11-01. Updated: 2026-11-01  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-116474 · Severity: info · Published 2026-11-01

Gitea is a self-hosted Git service that manages repositories and access control. A job running in Gitea Actions could register a GPG key for the system user account, allowing attackers to forge trusted commit signatures in any repository—including repositories they cannot write to. While this does not grant actual write access, it enables attackers to deceive code review by making their commits appear as trusted instance-signed commits.

Technologies: [Gitea](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/gitea). Vendors: [Gitea](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/gitea).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-116474 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-116474 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-116474?** Informational severity, published 1 November 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Gitea before 28.3.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-116474?** Yes: fixed in Gitea 28.3.0. Until then: Restrict who can create and run workflow jobs in your Gitea instance, as the vulnerability requires the ability to execute Actions workflows. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-116474 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-116474?** Check whether you run Gitea at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- Fixed in Gitea 28.3.0

Restrict who can create and run workflow jobs in your Gitea instance, as the vulnerability requires the ability to execute Actions workflows.

## Technical details

A Gitea Actions job's GITEA_TOKEN authenticated as the `gitea-actions` system user and was accepted by the `/api/v1/user` email and GPG key endpoints without email confirmation. When a GPG key without a real owner is registered, Gitea treats it as the instance's signing key, so any commit signed with that attacker-controlled key displays as verified by the instance. The vulnerability requires the ability to run a workflow job and affects commit signature verification display only; signature enforcement mechanisms remain unaffected.

## Affected products

- Gitea Gitea before 28.3.0

## Timeline

- 2026-11-01: disclosed
- 2026-11-01: patched

## References

- [https://blog.gitea.com/release-of-28.3.0/](https://blog.gitea.com/release-of-28.3.0/)
- [https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/39945](https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/39945)

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