CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-55672NVD status: Deferred

zitadel: Improper Authentication

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-55672 is a high-severity improper authentication vulnerability in zitadel, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.4 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected zitadel versions: >= 4.0.0-rc.1, < 4.15.2; < 3.4.12. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.43% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of zitadel you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Zitadelzitadel>= 4.0.0-rc.1, < 4.15.2; < 3.4.12Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
NoneAvailability is not affected.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by CNA (github.com).

Official description

ZITADEL is an open source identity management platform. Prior to 3.4.12 and 4.15.2, ZITADEL's OAuth2 and OIDC CodeExchange, RefreshToken, and device token flows fail to verify that the requesting client matches the client that initiated the authorization flow, allowing intercepted grants or refresh tokens to be exchanged under a different client. This issue is fixed in versions 3.4.12 and 4.15.2.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Improper Authentication

When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.

More Improper Authentication vulnerabilities (CWE-287)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).

References

Other vulnerabilities in zitadel

All zitadel vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Authentication vulnerabilities

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