PatchTheCVECVE-2026-103059: When Gitea's built-in SSH server is enabled (`START_SSH_SERVER = true`), the presented public key was looked u
CVE-2026-103059 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.1) affecting gitea. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.
When Gitea's built-in SSH server is enabled (`START_SSH_SERVER = true`), the presented public key was looked up with an SQL `LIKE` comparison of its encoded content, which is case-insensitive on some databases, including the default SQLite. An attacker who can construct a case variant of another user's registered RSA public key for which they can derive the private key could have that key matched to the victim's account and authenticate over SSH
Why this priority
- Critical severity
- Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action
A fixed release or distro patch exists.
Risk facts
| CVSS score | 9.1 (Critical) |
| Attack vector | Network (remote) |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges needed | None |
| User interaction | None |
| EPSS exploit chance | 0.4% (top 67%) |
| CISA exploited list | No |
| Weakness | CWE-305 |
| Published | 2026-10-06 |
| Last modified | 2026-10-15 |
Last updated 2026-10-15 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score
Am I affected?
Timeline
- Published CVE record published
- Updated Record last modified
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.
Quick answers
How do I fix CVE-2026-103059?
gitea: upgrade to 28.0.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.
Is CVE-2026-103059 being exploited?
CVE-2026-103059 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.
What does CVE-2026-103059 affect?
CVE-2026-103059 affects gitea. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.1). When Gitea's built-in SSH server is enabled (`START_SSH_SERVER = true`), the presented public key was looked up with an SQL `LIKE` comparison of its encoded content, which is case-insensitive on some databases, including the default SQLite.
How urgent is CVE-2026-103059?
Priority 45/100. Critical severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action
Software pages
SQLite vulnerabilities · Gitea vulnerabilities
Related CVEs
- CVE-2026-101027 HIGH 7.7 UPGRADE When `[migrations] ALLOWED_DOMAINS` was configured, a hostname matching the allow list was accepted without ch
- CVE-2026-101029 MEDIUM 4.3 UPGRADE Gitea's repository migration and pull mirror egress checks could be bypassed with a hostname that returns mult
- CVE-2026-103667 MEDIUM 5.4 UPGRADE Gitea's container registry served blob downloads with a `Content-Type` taken from the media type declared in p
- CVE-2026-103670 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE When a Gitea Actions run was inserted, older runs in the same workflow-level concurrency group were cancelled
- CVE-2026-86684 HIGH 7.1 UPGRADE The Gitea push mirror API checked whether the repository owner, instead of the requesting user, may use local