ZITADEL: Missing Token Lifecyle Validation (exp and iat) in JWT IdP Provider

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

4.2 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-56664: 0.32% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 24.86 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary A token lifecycle validation vulnerability was discovered in ZITADEL's external JWT Identity Provider (IdP) implementation. ZITADEL enforces a 1-hour maximum token age freshness window (maxAge) calculated from the token's issue time. However, this safety check is guarded by a presence condition. If an incoming token omits the iat claim, the freshness check is entirely bypassed, allowing arbitrarily old tokens to pass authentication successfully. Per the OIDC Core 1.0 specification, identity token validation pipelines must strictly handle and enforce session expiration. ZITADEL's silent acceptance of tokens missing these temporal constraints compromises session integrity. Impact An attacker in possession of a stale token lacking an iat claim can reuse it indefinitely without triggering the maximum age freshness invalidation. Affected Versions Systems running one of the following versions are affected: 4.x: 4.0.0 through 4.15.1 (including RC versions) 3.x: 3.0.0 through 3.4.11…

Published by the source

18 Jun 2026, 13:52 UTC

Last modified by the source

18 Jul 2026, 17:24 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:25 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-wxg7-w2v3-w38g

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-56664

Advisory: ZITADEL: Missing Token Lifecyle Validation (`exp` and `iat`) in JWT IdP Provider
IDs: CVE-2026-56664, GHSA-wxg7-w2v3-w38g
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-56664 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:25 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.2)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: github.com/zitadel/zitadel 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615122908-fad02c6d9f45. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/zitadel/zitadel: affected < 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615122908-fad02c6d9f45; fixed in 1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615122908-fad02c6d9f45

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go github.com/zitadel/zitadel: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on github.com/zitadel/zitadel.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wxg7-w2v3-w38g (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-wxg7-w2v3-w38g lists affected ranges: Go github.com/zitadel/zitadel >=0 <1.80.0-v2.20.0.20260615122908-fad02c6d9f45)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.