# CVE-2024-28197: Account Takeover via Session Fixation in Zitadel [Bypassing MFA]

> Attackers can hijack user sessions and bypass MFA by exploiting cookie accessibility on subdomains, requiring a malicious link interaction.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 Mar 2024
- **Updated:** 26 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mq4x-r2w3-j7mr, GO-2024-2637

## What is CVE-2024-28197?

CVE-2024-28197 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in zitadel, published on 11 Mar 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Zitadel is an open source identity management system. Zitadel uses a cookie to identify the user agent (browser) and its user sessions.  Although the cookie was handled according to best practices, it was accessible on subdomains of the ZITADEL instance. An attacker could take advantage of this and provide a malicious link hosted on the subdomain to the user to gain access to the victim’s account in certain scenarios. A possible victim would need to login through the malicious link for this exploit to work. If the possible victim already had the cookie present, the attack would not succeed. The attack would further only be possible if there was an initial vulnerability on the subdomain. This could either be the attacker being able to control DNS or a XSS vulnerability in an application hosted on a subdomain. Versions 2.46.0, 2.45.1, and 2.44.3 have been patched. Zitadel recommends upgrading to the latest versions available in due course. Note that applying the patch will invalidate the current cookie and thus users will need to start a new session and existing sessions (user selection) will be empty. For self-hosted environments unable to upgrade to a patched version, prevent setting the following cookie name on subdomains of your Zitadel instance (e.g. within your WAF): `__Secure-zitadel-useragent`.

Weakness: CWE-384 (Session Fixation), CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-28197?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/zitadel/zitadel. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/zitadel/zitadel` | Go | All versions | None |
| `github.com/zitadel/zitadel` | Go | All versions | 2.44.3 |
| `github.com/zitadel/zitadel` | Go | All versions | 2.44.3 |
| `github.com/zitadel/zitadel` | Go | From 2.45.0 | 2.45.1 |
| `github.com/zitadel/zitadel` | Go | From 2.45.0 | 2.45.1 |

Products: Zitadel Zitadel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-28197?

Upgrade github.com/zitadel/zitadel to a fixed version for your release line: 2.44.3 or 2.45.1.

## Is CVE-2024-28197 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-28197 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-2024-28197 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-28197 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in zitadel, published on 11 Mar 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-28197 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go): affected all versions; no fix listed
- github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 2.44.3
- github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 2.44.3
- github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go): affected from 2.45.0; fixed in 2.45.1
- github.com/zitadel/zitadel (Go): affected from 2.45.0; fixed in 2.45.1

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-2024-28197/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-28197/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-28197
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-28197
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-28197

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-28197/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.