Gitea: Null Pointer Dereference in AddTime API Causes Authenticated Denial of Service (CVE-2026-55984)
A null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the AddTime API handler of Gitea before version 1.27.0. When a repository administrator specifies a non-existent user name, the API returns an error but continues execution, leading to a nil pointer dereference and a runtime panic. This causes an authenticated denial of service via server-side crashes or request failures.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The AddTime API endpoint in Gitea (POST /api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{index}/times) improperly handles errors from the GetUserByName() function. If a non-existent user name is provided, the error is returned but execution does not stop, resulting in a nil user pointer being dereferenced. This triggers a runtime panic causing the server to respond with HTTP 500 errors and potentially degrade service availability. The issue affects versions prior to 1.27.0. The suggested fix is to add a return statement immediately after the error response to prevent further execution with a nil pointer.
Potential Impact
An authenticated repository administrator can cause the server to panic repeatedly by invoking the vulnerable API with a non-existent user name. This leads to denial of service conditions such as request failures, possible stack trace disclosure, excessive logging, and degraded availability depending on the server's panic recovery configuration. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available in Gitea version 1.27.0 and later. Users should upgrade to version 1.27.0 or newer to resolve this issue. Until then, avoid specifying non-existent user names in the AddTime API calls. No other mitigations are specified.
Gitea: Null Pointer Dereference in AddTime API Causes Authenticated Denial of Service (CVE-2026-55984)
Description
A null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the AddTime API handler of Gitea before version 1.27.0. When a repository administrator specifies a non-existent user name, the API returns an error but continues execution, leading to a nil pointer dereference and a runtime panic. This causes an authenticated denial of service via server-side crashes or request failures.
CVSS v3.1
Score 2.7low
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The AddTime API endpoint in Gitea (POST /api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{index}/times) improperly handles errors from the GetUserByName() function. If a non-existent user name is provided, the error is returned but execution does not stop, resulting in a nil user pointer being dereferenced. This triggers a runtime panic causing the server to respond with HTTP 500 errors and potentially degrade service availability. The issue affects versions prior to 1.27.0. The suggested fix is to add a return statement immediately after the error response to prevent further execution with a nil pointer.
Potential Impact
An authenticated repository administrator can cause the server to panic repeatedly by invoking the vulnerable API with a non-existent user name. This leads to denial of service conditions such as request failures, possible stack trace disclosure, excessive logging, and degraded availability depending on the server's panic recovery configuration. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available in Gitea version 1.27.0 and later. Users should upgrade to version 1.27.0 or newer to resolve this issue. Until then, avoid specifying non-existent user names in the AddTime API calls. No other mitigations are specified.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- GHSA-m932-crvm-gcp5
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.4.0
- Aliases
- ["CVE-2026-55984"]
- Ecosystems
- ["Go"]
- Database Specific Severity
- LOW
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
Threat ID: 6a600ab59c2644c7f8fe2122
Added to database: 07/22/2026, 00:11:33 UTC
Last enriched: 07/22/2026, 00:47:56 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 12:28:12 UTC
Views: 14
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