# CVE-2023-46238: XSS with User Avatar image in ZITADEL

> Attackers can execute scripts via malicious SVG avatars to hijack user accounts if victims open the image directly while logged in.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-954h-jrpm-72pm

## What is CVE-2023-46238?

CVE-2023-46238 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in zitadel, published on 26 Oct 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

ZITADEL is an identity infrastructure management system. ZITADEL users can upload their own avatar image using various image types including SVG. SVG can include scripts, such as javascript, which can be executed during rendering. Due to a missing security header, an attacker could inject code to an SVG to gain access to the victim’s account in certain scenarios. A victim would need to directly open the malicious image in the browser, where a single session in ZITADEL needs to be active for this exploit to work. If the possible victim had multiple or no active sessions in ZITADEL, the attack would not succeed. This issue has been patched in version 2.39.2 and 2.38.2.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-46238?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Zitadel Zitadel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-46238?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-46238 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-46238 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-46238 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in zitadel

- [CVE-2026-29191](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-29191/): ZITADEL: 1-Click Account Takeover via XSS in /saml-post Endpoint (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2025-67494](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-67494/): ZITADEL Vulnerable to Unauthenticated Full-Read SSRF via V2 Login (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2025-27507](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-27507/): IDOR Vulnerabilities in ZITADEL's Admin API that Primarily Impact LDAP Configurations (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2025-64103](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-64103/): Zitadel Bypass Second Authentication Factor (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2025-31123](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-31123/): Zitadel Expired JWT Keys Usable for Authorization Grants (high 8.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-46238 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-46238 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in zitadel, published on 26 Oct 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-46238 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: zitadel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46238/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46238/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-46238
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46238
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-46238

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46238/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.