Gitea Public Registration Enabled Security Misconfiguration Scanner
This scanner detects the use of Gitea Open User Registration in digital assets. Open User Registration in Gitea occurs when arbitrary users are allowed to sign up and access code, which could lead to unauthorized data exposure.
Short Info
Level
High
Single Scan
Single Scan
Can be used by
Asset Owner
Estimated Time
10 seconds
Time Interval
26 days
Scan only one
URL
Toolbox
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Gitea is an open-source Git service which is widely used by developers to manage and host their source code repositories. It is primarily used to support collaborative work by providing version control functionalities to both open source and private projects. Developers in both small and large organizations employ Gitea to manage their code bases efficiently. The platform is beneficial for its lightweight structure, ease of deployment, and compatibility with major operating systems. Besides being a handy tool for version control, Gitea also supports issue tracking, project wikis, and RESTful APIs. The software aims to make code storage as agile and flexible as possible, allowing users control over authorization and user management.
The vulnerability detected by this scanner is related to open user registration. This occurs when a misconfiguration allows any user to create an account in Gitea without administration oversight. This vulnerability potentially allows unauthorized users to access code repositories hosted on the service. Such unrestricted sign-ups could facilitate unwanted access to sensitive information if visitor access rights are improperly managed. Unauthorized users could exploit this to read, analyze, or even infer essential coding patterns or sensitive business logic. This risk mainly emerges from leaving the registration option open without proper vetting or control mechanisms.
The vulnerability occurs when the endpoint responsible for user registration allows access without administrative control. The specific vulnerable endpoint is the '/user/sign_up' page shipped with the default Gitea installation. The scanner identifies whether this registration page is accessible by any user, checking for conditions such as server responses and particular wording in the webpage content. When the registration process is publicly accessible, warnings regarding the openness of sensitive code are raised, urging for immediate corrective action. System administrators should ensure that registration is appropriately configured or restricted to prevent unauthorized access to repositories.
If this vulnerability is exploited, malicious actors could freely join the platform, potentially leading to unauthorized access to private or sensitive repositories. This could result in the breach of confidential business information or expose intellectual property. Any unauthorized data read could inform competitors or attackers about the inner workings or business processes managed by the exposed code. This can further escalate into legal implications or loss of public trust and potential financial repercussions. Therefore, ensuring strict access and registration protocols is paramount to safeguard organizational code assets.
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