Overview
In the constantly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, a new vulnerability has been discovered that affects Zitadel, an open-source identity infrastructure software. Identified as CVE-2025-48936, this vulnerability presents certain risks to users and poses a significant threat to the security of their accounts. The vulnerability exists in the password reset mechanism of Zitadel versions prior to 2.70.12, 2.71.10, and 3.2.2. The implications of this flaw are substantial, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage, making it a critical issue to be addressed promptly.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-48936
Severity: High – CVSS Score 8.1
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Zitadel | Prior to 2.70.12
Zitadel | Prior to 2.71.10
Zitadel | Prior to 3.2.2
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of a flaw in the password reset mechanism of Zitadel. The software uses the Forwarded or X-Forwarded-Host header from incoming requests to construct the URL for the password reset confirmation link that is emailed to the user. If an attacker can manipulate these headers, for instance, via host header injection, they could cause Zitadel to generate a password reset link pointing to a malicious domain under their control. If the unsuspecting user clicks this manipulated link, the secret reset code embedded in the URL can be captured by the attacker. This code can then be used to reset the user’s password and gain unauthorized access to their account.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. The attacker sends a malicious HTTP request manipulating the “X-Forwarded-Host” header:
POST /password/reset HTTP/1.1
Host: victim.example.com
X-Forwarded-Host: attacker.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "email": "victim@example.com" }This causes the password reset email to include a link pointing to the attacker’s domain, which enables them to capture the user’s reset code.