# CVE-2026-73802: Gitea Act Runner privilege escalation via container.options

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-73802-gitea-runner-workflow-container-options-passes-host-namespaces  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-14. Updated: 2026-10-02  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-73802 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-10-14

Gitea Act Runner, a continuous integration system that executes workflows in Docker containers, fails to sanitize container configuration options when privileged mode is disabled. An attacker who can submit workflows to a shared runner can configure containers to access the host system's namespaces and capabilities, gaining root-level command execution on the runner host and potentially exposing secrets and credentials used by the infrastructure.

Vendors: [Gitea](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/gitea), [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-73802 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-73802 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-73802?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 14 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** gitea.com/gitea/runner (Go) < 1.0.9-0.20260731160927-34bfa1915022, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=1.0.9-0.20260731160927-34bfa1915022.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-73802?** Yes. gitea.com/gitea/runner (Go): upgrade to 1.0.9-0.20260731160927-34bfa1915022 or later. Until then: Do not rely on disabling privileged mode as a security control for shared runners; instead, restrict workflow submission permissions to trusted users only, or disable Docker-backed execution entirely in favor of isolated execution backends.</anigation>
<parameter name="timeline">[{"kind":"disclosed","at":"2026-10-02"}] Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-73802 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-73802?** Check whether you run Gitea Act Runner or gitea.com/gitea/runner (Go) 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

- gitea.com/gitea/runner (Go): upgrade to 1.0.9-0.20260731160927-34bfa1915022 or later

  ```sh
  go get gitea.com/gitea/runner@v1.0.9-0.20260731160927-34bfa1915022
  ```


Do not rely on disabling privileged mode as a security control for shared runners; instead, restrict workflow submission permissions to trusted users only, or disable Docker-backed execution entirely in favor of isolated execution backends.</anigation>
<parameter name="timeline">[{"kind":"disclosed","at":"2026-10-02"}]

## Technical details

The vulnerability exists in how act_runner processes the workflow YAML container.options field: these options are appended directly to the Docker HostConfig without proper sanitization when privileged mode is disabled. Dangerous namespace flags (--pid=host, --ipc=host), capability additions (--cap-add=ALL), and security profile overrides (seccomp=unconfined) are preserved in the final container configuration. An authenticated workflow author can exploit this to enter host namespaces and execute arbitrary commands as root on the runner host via nsenter or similar tools.

## Affected products

- Gitea Act Runner

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-73802
- GHSA-x4q3-gcj3-m6cf
- GO-2026-6656

## Related threats

- [Gitea act_runner container escape via Docker options injection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-58053-gitea-act-runner-container-escape-via-docker-options-injection)