CVE-2019-1010261 in Gitea
Summary
by MITRE
Gitea 1.7.0 and earlier is affected by: Cross Site Scripting (XSS). The impact is: Attacker is able to have victim execute arbitrary JS in browser. The component is: go-get URL generation - PR to fix: https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/5905. The attack vector is: victim must open a specifically crafted URL. The fixed version is: 1.7.1 and later.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2023
Gitea version 1.7.0 and earlier contained a critical cross site scripting vulnerability that allowed attackers to execute arbitrary javascript code in victims' browsers through carefully crafted URLs. This vulnerability specifically affected the go-get URL generation functionality within the application's codebase. The flaw enabled attackers to inject malicious script payloads that would execute when users visited compromised links, making it a severe security risk for any organization relying on Gitea for code repository management and collaboration. The vulnerability was classified as a client-side attack vector where user interaction was required, specifically requiring victims to click on a maliciously crafted URL to trigger the exploit.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurred within the go-get URL generation component which is used to facilitate package retrieval and dependency management in Go-based projects. When Gitea processed these URLs, it failed to properly sanitize or escape user input, allowing malicious payloads to be embedded in the URL parameters. This particular flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross Site Scripting, which represents one of the most common and dangerous web application vulnerabilities. The vulnerability exploited the application's failure to implement proper output encoding when generating URLs for go-get functionality, creating an environment where attacker-controlled data could be interpreted as executable javascript code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extended beyond simple script execution, as it provided attackers with the ability to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, manipulate application data, and potentially escalate privileges within the Gitea environment. Attackers could craft URLs that would redirect victims to malicious sites or inject scripts that would capture user input, modify page content, or redirect users to phishing sites. This vulnerability particularly affected organizations using Gitea for internal code repositories where developers frequently clicked on links from various sources, making the attack surface quite broad. The issue was particularly concerning because it required no special privileges from attackers and could be exploited through social engineering tactics.
The fix for this vulnerability was implemented in Gitea version 1.7.1 and later releases through a pull request that addressed the URL generation sanitization process. The mitigation involved proper input validation and output encoding of user-supplied parameters within the go-get URL generation functionality. Organizations should immediately upgrade to version 1.7.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the patch specifically targeted the root cause by ensuring that all user input passed through the URL generation process is properly escaped and validated. Security teams should also implement additional monitoring for suspicious URL patterns and consider implementing content security policies as additional defensive measures. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of proper input sanitization in web applications and the potential consequences of inadequate output encoding in URL generation components.