GHSA-282g-fhmx-xf54
ZITADEL Users Can Self-Verify Email/Phone via UpdateHumanUser API
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Blast Radius
github.com/zitadel/zitadel🐹github.com/zitadel/zitadel🐹github.com/zitadel/zitadelReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
A vulnerability in Zitadel's self-management capability allowed users to mark their email and phone as verified without going through an actual verification process.
Impact
Zitadel provides an API for managing users. The API also allows users to self-manage their own data including updating the email and phone.
Due to an improper permission check, the API allowed setting the verified flag for the email and phone on the own user. This allows users to claim ownership of an email or phone they do not control and potentially bypass email-based security policies.
Note that when changing another user's email or phone, regardless of the verification flag, the permissions were correctly checked.
Affected Versions
Systems running one of the following versions are affected:
- 4.x:
4.0.0through4.11.0(including RC versions) - 3.x:
3.0.0through3.4.6(including RC versions) - 2.x:
2.43.0through2.71.19
Patches
The vulnerability has been addressed in the latest releases. The patch resolves the issue by requiring the correct permission in case the verification flag is provided and only allows self-management of the email address, resp. phone number itself.
4.x: Upgrade to >=4.11.1 3.x: Update to >=3.4.7 2.x: Update to >=3.4.7
Workarounds
The recommended solution is to upgrade to a patched version. If an upgrade is not possible, an action (v2) could be used to prevent setting the verification flag on the own user.
Questions
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please email us at [email protected]
Credits
This vulnerability was identified by MhdAsfan during a security audit of a system utilizing Zitadel.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.11.1 | 4.11.1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel | ≥ 2.43.0&&< 3.4.7 | 3.4.7 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel | all versions | 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260225053417-0261536243e5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/zitadel/zitadel. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/zitadel/zitadel to 4.11.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-282g-fhmx-xf54 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-282g-fhmx-xf54 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-282g-fhmx-xf54. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-282g-fhmx-xf54 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-282g-fhmx-xf54 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.