GHSA-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c is a high-severity (CVSS 8.7) CWE-436 vulnerability in github.com/zitadel/zitadel. A fix is available for github.com/zitadel/zitadel — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Broken Authorization in ZITADEL Actions
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c.
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.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
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
Impact
Actions, introduced in ZITADEL 1.42.0 on the API and 1.56.0 for Console, is a feature, where users with role ORG_OWNER are able to create Javascript Code, which is invoked by the system at certain points during the login.
Actions, for example, allow creating authorizations (user grants) on newly created users programmatically.
Due to a missing authorization check, Actions were able to grant authorizations for projects that belong to other organisations inside the same Instance. Granting authorizations via API and Console is not affected by this vulnerability.
Patches
2.x versions are fixed on >= 2.2.0 1.x versions are fixed on >= 1.87.1
ZITADEL recommends upgrading to the latest versions available in due course.
Workarounds
There is no workaround since a patch is already available.
Who did disclose this
During our recurring white box penetration test our external security consultant found this issue. The full report will be made public after the complete review.
References
https://docs.zitadel.com/docs/guides/manage/customize/behavior https://docs.zitadel.com/docs/apis/actions https://zitadel.com/blog/pentest-results-h1-2021
Questions
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.2.0 | 2.2.0go get github.com/zitadel/zitadel@v2.2.0 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel | ≥ 1.42.0&&< 1.87.1 | 1.87.1go get github.com/zitadel/zitadel@v1.87.1 |
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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/zitadel/zitadel to 2.2.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c. 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-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-c8fj-4pm8-mp2c across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.