GHSA-mwmh-7px9-4c23
HIGHZITADEL Vulnerable to Account Takeover via Malicious Forwarded Header Injection
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/v2🐹github.com/zitadel/zitadel/v2Real-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
A potential vulnerability exists in ZITADEL's password reset mechanism. ZITADEL utilizes the Forwarded or X-Forwarded-Host header from incoming requests to construct the URL for the password reset confirmation link. This link, containing a secret code, is then emailed to the user.
If an attacker can manipulate these headers (e.g., via host header injection), they could cause ZITADEL to generate a password reset link pointing to a malicious domain controlled by the attacker. If the user clicks this manipulated link in the email, the secret reset code embedded in the URL can be captured by the attacker. This captured code could then be used to reset the user's password and gain unauthorized access to their account.
It's important to note that this specific attack vector is mitigated for accounts that have Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or Passwordless authentication enabled.
Affected Versions
Systems running one of the following versions:
- 4.x:
4.0.0to4.5.0(including RC versions) - 3.x:
3.0.0to3.4.2(including RC versions) - 2.x:
v2.0.0to2.71.17
Patches
Patched version ensure proper validation of the headers:
4.x: Upgrade to >=4.6.0 3.x: Update to >=3.4.3 2.x: Update to >=2.71.18
Workarounds
The recommended solution is to update ZITADEL to a patched version.
A ZITADEL fronting proxy can be configured to delete all Forwarded and X-Forwarded-Host header values before sending requests to ZITADEL self-hosted environments.
Questions
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please email us at [email protected]
Credits
Thanks to Amit Laish – GE Vernova for finding and reporting the vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel/v2 | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.71.18 | 2.71.18 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/zitadel/zitadel/v2 | all versions | 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20251029090537-72a5c33e6ac3 |
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/v2. 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/v2 to 2.71.18 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-mwmh-7px9-4c23 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-mwmh-7px9-4c23 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-mwmh-7px9-4c23. 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-mwmh-7px9-4c23 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-mwmh-7px9-4c23 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.