# CVE-2026-55669: ZITADEL missing JWT audience validation in external Identity Provider

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-55669-zitadel-missing-jwt-audience-validation-in-external-identity  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-10. Updated: 2026-07-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-55669 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.2 · Published 2026-07-10

ZITADEL is an open-source identity management platform used to manage user authentication and access. A security flaw in its external identity provider integration allows a user with a valid login for one service to potentially gain unauthorized access to ZITADEL if both services use the same trusted identity provider. This could lead to unauthorized account access in specific enterprise environments where multiple applications share a single login provider.

Technologies: [github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-zitadel-zitadel), [ZITADEL](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/zitadel). Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go), [ZITADEL](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/zitadel).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-55669 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-55669 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-55669?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.2, published 10 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go) < 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615132747-d184e976fc79, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615132747-d184e976fc79; ZITADEL >= 4.0.0, < 4.15.2; < 3.4.12, 3.0.0 to 3.4.11, 4.0.0 to 4.11.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-55669?** Yes. github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go): upgrade to 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615132747-d184e976fc79 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-55669 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-55669?** Check whether you run github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go) or ZITADEL at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go): upgrade to 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615132747-d184e976fc79 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/zitadel/zitadel@v1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615132747-d184e976fc79
  ```


## Technical details

An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in ZITADEL's external JWT Identity Provider (IdP) implementation due to improper validation of the 'aud' (audience) claim. While ZITADEL correctly verifies the cryptographic signature and 'iss' (issuer) claim of incoming JSON Web Tokens, it does not check if the token was specifically intended for ZITADEL. An attacker with a valid token issued by a shared, trusted IdP for a different application can present that token to ZITADEL to authenticate. This requires the attacker to already possess a valid session from the shared issuer (PR:L) and depends on specific cross-service trust configurations (AC:H). The issue is resolved in versions 3.4.12 and 4.15.2 by enforcing audience validation.

## Affected products

- ZITADEL ZITADEL >= 4.0.0, < 4.15.2; < 3.4.12

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-55669
- GHSA-g5h5-m4hm-xjrr
- GO-2026-5391

## Timeline

- 2026-06-17: patched: Versions 3.4.12 and 4.15.2 released
- 2026-06-17: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-07-10: disclosed: NVD publication date

## References

- [https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v3.4.12](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v3.4.12)
- [https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.15.2](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.15.2)
- [https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/security/advisories/GHSA-g5h5-m4hm-xjrr](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/security/advisories/GHSA-g5h5-m4hm-xjrr)

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