Summary
Gogs Allows Cross-Repository Comment Deletion via DeleteComment
IDOR: Cross-Repository Comment Deletion via DeleteComment
The POST /:owner/:repo/issues/comments/:id/delete endpoint does not verify that the comment belongs to the repository specified in the URL. This allows a repository administrator to delete comments from any other repository by supplying arbitrary comment IDs, bypassing authorization controls.
Vulnerability Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Affected File | internal/route/repo/issue.go |
| Affected Function | DeleteComment (lines 955-968) |
| Secondary File | internal/database/comment.go |
| Secondary Function | DeleteCommentByID (lines 505-520) |
Root Cause
The vulnerability exists due to insufficient authorization validation in the comment deletion flow:
1. Missing Repository Ownership Check in DeleteComment
In internal/route/repo/issue.go, the function retrieves a comment by ID without verifying repository ownership:
func DeleteComment(c *context.Context) {
comment, err := database.GetCommentByID(c.ParamsInt64(":id"))
if err != nil {
c.NotFoundOrError(err, "get comment by ID")
return
}
// Only checks if user is comment poster OR admin of the CURRENT repo (from URL)
if c.UserID() != comment.PosterID && !c.Repo.IsAdmin() {
c.NotFound()
return
} else if comment.Type != database.CommentTypeComment {
c.Status(http.StatusNoContent)
return
}
// No verification that comment.IssueID belongs to c.Repo.Repository.ID!
if err = database.DeleteCommentByID(c.User, comment.ID); err != nil {
c.Error(err, "delete comment by ID")
return
}
c.Status(http.StatusOK)
}
2. Database Layer Performs No Authorization
In internal/database/comment.go, the deletion function performs no repository validation:
func DeleteCommentByID(doer *User, id int64) error {
comment, err := GetCommentByID(id)
if err != nil {
if IsErrCommentNotExist(err) {
return nil
}
return err
}
// Directly deletes without checking repository ownership
sess := x.NewSession()
defer sess.Close()
if err = sess.Begin(); err != nil {
return err
}
if _, err = sess.ID(comment.ID).Delete(new(Comment)); err != nil {
// ...
}
// ...
}
Proof of Concept
Prerequisites
- Two users: Alice (attacker) and Bob (victim)
- Alice is admin of
alice/attacker-repo - Bob has created an issue with a comment on
bob/victim-repo - Attacker needs to obtain the comment ID from victim's repository (e.g., ID: 42)
HTTP Request
POST /alice/attacker-repo/issues/comments/42/delete HTTP/1.1
Host: gogs.example.com
Cookie: i_like_gogs=<alice_session_token>
Impact
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-25120? CVE-2026-25120 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in gogs.io/gogs (go), affecting versions <= 0.13.4. It is fixed in 0.14.0.
- Which versions of gogs.io/gogs are affected by CVE-2026-25120? gogs.io/gogs (go) versions <= 0.13.4 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-25120? Yes. CVE-2026-25120 is fixed in 0.14.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-25120 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-25120 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-25120 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-25120? Upgrade
gogs.io/gogsto 0.14.0 or later.