diff --git a/modules/packages/debian/metadata.go b/modules/packages/debian/metadata.go
index 8d8b03147f6..c3bb86ddd13 100644
--- a/modules/packages/debian/metadata.go
+++ b/modules/packages/debian/metadata.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"net/mail"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 
 	"gitea.dev/modules/util"
 	"gitea.dev/modules/validation"
@@ -36,18 +37,36 @@ const (
 	controlTar = "control.tar"
 )
 
-var (
-	ErrMissingControlFile     = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("control file is missing")
-	ErrUnsupportedCompression = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("unsupported compression algorithm")
-	ErrInvalidName            = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("package name is invalid")
-	ErrInvalidVersion         = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("package version is invalid")
-	ErrInvalidArchitecture    = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("package architecture is invalid")
+var GlobalVars = sync.OnceValue(func() (ret struct {
+	ErrMissingControlFile     error
+	ErrUnsupportedCompression error
+	ErrInvalidName            error
+	ErrInvalidVersion         error
+	ErrInvalidArchitecture    error
+
+	namePattern    *regexp.Regexp
+	versionPattern *regexp.Regexp
+	symbolPattern  *regexp.Regexp
+},
+) {
+	ret.ErrMissingControlFile = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("control file is missing")
+	ret.ErrUnsupportedCompression = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("unsupported compression algorithm")
+	ret.ErrInvalidName = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("package name is invalid")
+	ret.ErrInvalidVersion = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("package version is invalid")
+	ret.ErrInvalidArchitecture = util.NewInvalidArgumentErrorf("package architecture is invalid")
 
 	// https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#source
-	namePattern = regexp.MustCompile(`\A[a-z0-9][a-z0-9+-.]+\z`)
+	ret.namePattern = regexp.MustCompile(`\A[a-z0-9][a-z0-9+-.]+\z`)
 	// https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#version
-	versionPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`\A(?:(0|[1-9][0-9]*):)?[a-zA-Z0-9.+~]+(?:-[a-zA-Z0-9.+-~]+)?\z`)
-)
+	ret.versionPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`\A(?:(0|[1-9][0-9]*):)?[a-zA-Z0-9.+~]+(?:-[a-zA-Z0-9.+-~]+)?\z`)
+
+	// distribution and component are taken from the request path and written
+	// verbatim into the generated line-based Release and Packages indices (and
+	// into the pool/<distribution>/<component> paths referenced from them), so
+	// they must be restricted to a character set that cannot break that format.
+	ret.symbolPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`\A[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9.~+_-]*\z`)
+	return ret
+})
 
 type Package struct {
 	Name         string
@@ -64,6 +83,10 @@ type Metadata struct {
 	Dependencies []string `json:"dependencies,omitempty"`
 }
 
+func IsValidDistributionOrComponent(s string) bool {
+	return GlobalVars().symbolPattern.MatchString(s)
+}
+
 // ParsePackage parses the Debian package file
 // https://manpages.debian.org/bullseye/dpkg-dev/deb.5.en.html
 func ParsePackage(r io.Reader) (*Package, error) {
@@ -109,7 +132,7 @@ func ParsePackage(r io.Reader) (*Package, error) {
 
 				inner = zr
 			default:
-				return nil, ErrUnsupportedCompression
+				return nil, GlobalVars().ErrUnsupportedCompression
 			}
 
 			tr := tar.NewReader(inner)
@@ -133,7 +156,7 @@ func ParsePackage(r io.Reader) (*Package, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	return nil, ErrMissingControlFile
+	return nil, GlobalVars().ErrMissingControlFile
 }
 
 // ParseControlFile parses a Debian control file to retrieve the metadata
@@ -210,14 +233,14 @@ func ParseControlFile(r io.Reader) (*Package, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	if !namePattern.MatchString(p.Name) {
-		return nil, ErrInvalidName
+	if !GlobalVars().namePattern.MatchString(p.Name) {
+		return nil, GlobalVars().ErrInvalidName
 	}
-	if !versionPattern.MatchString(p.Version) {
-		return nil, ErrInvalidVersion
+	if !GlobalVars().versionPattern.MatchString(p.Version) {
+		return nil, GlobalVars().ErrInvalidVersion
 	}
 	if p.Architecture == "" {
-		return nil, ErrInvalidArchitecture
+		return nil, GlobalVars().ErrInvalidArchitecture
 	}
 
 	dependencies := strings.Split(depends.String(), ",")
diff --git a/modules/packages/debian/metadata_test.go b/modules/packages/debian/metadata_test.go
index 6ff10a7f210..25784ac08a6 100644
--- a/modules/packages/debian/metadata_test.go
+++ b/modules/packages/debian/metadata_test.go
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func TestParsePackage(t *testing.T) {
 
 		p, err := ParsePackage(data)
 		assert.Nil(t, p)
-		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrMissingControlFile)
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, GlobalVars().ErrMissingControlFile)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Compression", func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ func TestParsePackage(t *testing.T) {
 
 			p, err := ParsePackage(data)
 			assert.Nil(t, p)
-			assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrUnsupportedCompression)
+			assert.ErrorIs(t, err, GlobalVars().ErrUnsupportedCompression)
 		})
 
 		var buf bytes.Buffer
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ func TestParseControlFile(t *testing.T) {
 		for _, name := range []string{"", "-cd"} {
 			p, err := ParseControlFile(buildContent(name, packageVersion, packageArchitecture))
 			assert.Nil(t, p)
-			assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrInvalidName)
+			assert.ErrorIs(t, err, GlobalVars().ErrInvalidName)
 		}
 	})
 
@@ -149,14 +149,14 @@ func TestParseControlFile(t *testing.T) {
 		for _, version := range []string{"", "1-", ":1.0", "1_0"} {
 			p, err := ParseControlFile(buildContent(packageName, version, packageArchitecture))
 			assert.Nil(t, p)
-			assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrInvalidVersion)
+			assert.ErrorIs(t, err, GlobalVars().ErrInvalidVersion)
 		}
 	})
 
 	t.Run("InvalidArchitecture", func(t *testing.T) {
 		p, err := ParseControlFile(buildContent(packageName, packageVersion, ""))
 		assert.Nil(t, p)
-		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrInvalidArchitecture)
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, GlobalVars().ErrInvalidArchitecture)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Valid", func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -200,3 +200,35 @@ func TestParseControlFile(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.NotContains(t, p.Control, "evil.deb")
 	})
 }
+
+func TestValidateDistributionOrComponent(t *testing.T) {
+	bad := []string{
+		"",
+		".",
+		"..",
+		"-stable",
+		".hidden",
+		"a/b",
+		"a b",
+		"bookworm\nSigned-By: evil",
+		"main\nFilename: pool/x",
+		"a\tb",
+	}
+	for _, name := range bad {
+		assert.False(t, IsValidDistributionOrComponent(name), "bad=%q", name)
+	}
+
+	good := []string{
+		"stable",
+		"bookworm",
+		"bookworm-backports",
+		"stable-updates",
+		"main",
+		"non-free-firmware",
+		"a",
+		"1",
+	}
+	for _, name := range good {
+		assert.True(t, IsValidDistributionOrComponent(name), "good=%q", name)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/routers/api/packages/debian/debian.go b/routers/api/packages/debian/debian.go
index f9bf2960f83..ee9d4d554a8 100644
--- a/routers/api/packages/debian/debian.go
+++ b/routers/api/packages/debian/debian.go
@@ -120,9 +120,9 @@ func GetRepositoryFileByHash(ctx *context.Context) {
 }
 
 func UploadPackageFile(ctx *context.Context) {
-	distribution := strings.TrimSpace(ctx.PathParam("distribution"))
-	component := strings.TrimSpace(ctx.PathParam("component"))
-	if distribution == "" || component == "" {
+	distribution := ctx.PathParam("distribution")
+	component := ctx.PathParam("component")
+	if !debian_module.IsValidDistributionOrComponent(distribution) || !debian_module.IsValidDistributionOrComponent(component) {
 		apiError(ctx, http.StatusBadRequest, "invalid distribution or component")
 		return
 	}