CVE-2022-42968 in Gitea
Summary
by MITRE • 10/16/2022
Gitea before 1.17.3 does not sanitize and escape refs in the git backend. Arguments to git commands are mishandled.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-42968 affects Gitea versions prior to 1.17.3 and represents a critical security flaw in the git backend implementation. This issue stems from inadequate sanitization and escaping of refs within the git command execution process, creating a potential vector for command injection attacks. The vulnerability specifically impacts how Gitea handles references when executing git commands, allowing malicious actors to manipulate command arguments through crafted inputs that are not properly sanitized.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of arguments passed to git commands within the Gitea application. When users create or interact with repositories, the system processes various references including branch names, tag names, and commit identifiers. In vulnerable versions, these references are not adequately escaped or validated before being passed as arguments to underlying git commands. This creates an environment where specially crafted inputs can be interpreted as command-line arguments rather than simple reference identifiers, potentially enabling arbitrary command execution on the server hosting the Gitea instance.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise to potentially allow full system compromise. Attackers could leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary commands on the Gitea server with the privileges of the running process, which typically corresponds to the user account running the Gitea service. This could result in unauthorized access to repositories, data exfiltration, modification of source code, or even complete system takeover depending on the server configuration and privileges granted to the Gitea process. The vulnerability affects all git operations within Gitea including cloning, pushing, pulling, and repository management functions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-42968 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to Gitea 1.17.3 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and argument escaping mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as restricting git command execution permissions, monitoring for suspicious repository activities, and validating all user inputs before processing. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of their Gitea installations to ensure all instances have been updated and verify that proper input validation is in place for all git-related operations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-78 and CWE-88 categories related to command injection and argument injection respectively, and represents a significant risk under ATT&CK framework category TA0002 (Execution) and TA0006 (Credential Access) tactics.