GHSA-7j7j-66cv-m239
MEDIUMZITADEL's Improper Lockout Mechanism Leads to MFA Bypass
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/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
Impact
ZITADEL provides users the possibility to use Time-based One-Time-Password (TOTP) and One-Time-Password (OTP) through SMS and Email.
While ZITADEL already gives administrators the option to define a Lockout Policy with a maximum amount of failed password check attempts, there was no such mechanism for (T)OTP checks.
Patches
2.x versions are fixed on >= 2.50.0
Workarounds
There is no workaround since a patch is already available.
References
None
Questions
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please email us at [email protected]
Credits
Thanks to Jack Moran from Layer 9 Information Security, Ethan from zxsecurity and Amit Laish from GE Vernova for finding and reporting the vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel | all versions | 2.50.0 |
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 2.50.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-7j7j-66cv-m239 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-7j7j-66cv-m239 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-7j7j-66cv-m239. 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-7j7j-66cv-m239 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-7j7j-66cv-m239 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.