GHSA-rgv6-xp99-6mgj
Gitea Remember-Me Token Theft Not Invalidating Attacker Session
Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | code.gitea.io/gitea | < 1.27.0 | 1.27.0 |
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
The vulnerability is in the Remember-Me (gitea_incredible) token validation logic, specifically when handling a compromised token (hash mismatch).
The vulnerable function is this one:
https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/blob/689ace1ce28fd74244b8aa335d9928cdbf6b22f9/services/auth/auth_token.go#L33-L64
### Affected Endpoint
POST `/user/login` (and any endpoint triggering `autoSignIn` via the Remember-Me cookie).
### Description
Gitea implements Remember-Me cookies using a split token design (ID:Hash), [citing the Paragonie secure remember-me guide](https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/blob/689ace1ce28fd74244b8aa335d9928cdbf6b22f9/services/auth/auth_token.go#L21). When a token is used, its Hash is rotated, but the ID remains the same.
If an attacker steals a user's Remember-Me token and uses it to authenticate, the attacker is issued a new rotated token (same ID, new Hash). When the legitimate user later attempts to use their original token, Gitea correctly detects a hash mismatch for the given ID.
According to the referenced Paragonie specification, this indicates a compromised token, and ALL active remember-me sessions for that user MUST be invalidated. However, Gitea's `CheckAuthToken` function simply returns `ErrAuthTokenInvalidHash`. The calling code (`autoSignIn`) catches this error and deletes the victim's local cookie via `ctx.DeleteSiteCookie`, but fails to delete the compromised token from the database.
As a result, the attacker's active session is never invalidated, and the attacker maintains persistent, indefinite access to the victim's account, entirely defeating the purpose of the split-token security design.
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.
- https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/security/advisories/GHSA-rgv6-xp99-6mgj
- https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/38406
- https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/38426
- https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/commit/de4b8277e9cb576f2315fb03b5ab6478b42a1d31
- https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/commit/f69e15afe7496cc62e96dab244629c69eb31a7bf
- https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea
- https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/releases/tag/v1.27.0