CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2020-14144 — Gitea Gitea security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.2

The git hook feature in Gitea 1.1.0 through 1.12.5 might allow for authenticated remote code execution in customer environments where the documentation was not understood (e.g., one viewpoint is that the dangerousness of this feature should be documented immediately above the ENABLE_GIT_HOOKS line in the config file). NOTE: The vendor has indicated this is not a vulnerability and states "This is a functionality of the software that is limited to a very limited subset of accounts. If you give someone the privilege to execute arbitrary code on your server, they can execute arbitrary code on your server. We provide very clear warnings to users around this functionality and what it provides.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.2 (3.1)
Published
2020-10-16
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-78

Affected products

  • gitea / gitea

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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