CVE-2026-27840

What it is

ZITADEL is an open source identity management platform. Starting in version 2.31.0 and prior to versions 3.4.7 and 4.11.0, opaque OIDC access tokens in the v2 format truncated to 80 characters are still considered valid. Zitadel uses a symmetric AES encryption for opaque tokens. The cleartext payload is a concatenation of a couple of identifiers, such as a token ID and user ID. Internally Zitadel has 2 different versions of token payloads. v1 tokens are no longer created, but are still verified as to not invalidate existing session after upgrade. The cleartext payload has a format of `<token_id>:<user_id>`. v2 tokens distinguished further where the `token_id` is of the format `v2_<oidc_session_id>-at_<access_token_id>`. V1 token authZ/N session data is retrieved from the database using the (simple) `token_id` value and `user_id` value. The `user_id` (called `subject` in some parts of our code) was used as being the trusted user ID. V2 token authZ/N session data is retrieved from the database using the `oidc_session_id` and `access_token_id` and in this case the `user_id` from the token is ignored and taken from the session data in the database. By truncating the token to 80 chars, the user_id is now missing from the cleartext of the v2 token. The back-end still accepts this for above reasons. This issue is not considered exploitable, but may look awkward when reproduced. The patch in versions 4.11.0 and 3.4.7 resolves the issue by verifying the `user_id` from the token against the session data from the database. No known workarounds are available.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in, but needs a user to act. Limited direct impact.

Exploit odds

0.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2026-02-26 01:16 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 10:27 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.2% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 4.3 MEDIUM (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2026-02-26 01:16 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 10:27 UTC

Exploit probability

0.2% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-302

Record status

Analyzed

Affected

• Zitadel ≤ 2.71.19
• Zitadel < 3.4.7
• Zitadel < 4.11.0

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 4.3

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Is it in your code?

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