CVE-2026-105212 in Zitadel
Summary
by MITRE • 10/04/2026
ZITADEL 3.x before 3.4.14 and 4.x before 4.16.2 contains an authentication bypass in the hosted Login V1 and Login V2 UIs that accepts passkey or other authenticator enrollment on identify-only login sessions, before any primary factor is verified. Unauthenticated attackers knowing only a victim's login name can register an attacker-controlled authenticator and log in as that user, bypassing existing passwords and MFA.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2026
The vulnerability identified in ZITADEL versions prior to 3.4.14 for the 3.x branch and before 4.16.2 for the 4.x branch represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the hosted Login V1 and Login V2 user interfaces. This security defect specifically affects the process of enrolling passkeys or other authenticator devices during identity-only login sessions. In standard secure authentication flows, an identity verification step must precede any action that alters account credentials or security configurations to ensure that only legitimate users can modify their own access methods. However, in this vulnerable implementation, the system allows the registration of a new authenticator tied to a user account before verifying the primary factor of authentication, such as a password or existing multi-factor token. This architectural oversight creates a window where an unauthenticated actor can interact with the enrollment mechanism without proving ownership of the target identity.
The operational impact of this flaw is severe, enabling complete account takeover by attackers who possess only minimal information about their targets. Specifically, if an attacker knows a victim's login name or email address, they can initiate the authentication bypass process to register their own passkey or authenticator device under that user profile. Once the malicious authenticator is successfully enrolled and linked to the compromised identity, the attacker gains the ability to log in as that user by presenting the newly registered credential. This effectively circumvents all existing security controls designed for the account, including strong passwords and previously configured multi-factor authentication methods. The attacker can subsequently access sensitive data, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or further escalate privileges within the ZITADEL environment depending on the role assigned to that user identity.
From a technical classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which describes Improper Authentication, as the system fails to adequately verify the identity of users before performing sensitive operations like credential enrollment. It also maps closely to CWE-640, Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password, in terms of allowing unauthorized modification of security attributes based on knowledge of an identifier alone. In the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this behavior facilitates Account Manipulation techniques where adversaries modify existing accounts by adding new credentials or authentication methods to maintain persistent access without detection through traditional password-based alerts. The flaw essentially treats identity assertion as sufficient proof for administrative actions related to security configuration, violating the principle that changes to authentication factors require full multi-factor verification of current ownership.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate software updates and architectural review. Organizations running affected versions should upgrade ZITADEL to version 3.4.14 or later if operating on the legacy branch, or to version 4.16.2 or later for the newer release line, as these patches address the logic error in the enrollment workflow. Until an update is applied, administrators can implement compensating controls such as restricting access to the login UIs through network-level firewalls or identity-aware proxies that require pre-authentication before reaching the application layer. Additionally, enforcing strict session management policies and monitoring for unusual authenticator registration events can help detect potential exploitation attempts in real-time. It is crucial to ensure that all systems relying on ZITADEL as an identity provider are updated promptly to close this gap, which allows attackers to bypass robust security postures with minimal initial reconnaissance effort.