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ZitadelApplication

CVE-2024-29891

HIGH · 8.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.42.17 / 2.43.11 or later.
See remediation →
91/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
ZITADEL users can upload their own avatar image and various image types are allowed. Due to a missing check, an attacker could upload HTML and pretend it is an image to gain access to the victim's account in certain scenarios. A possible victim would need to directly open the supposed image in the browser, where a session in ZITADEL needs to be active for this exploit to work. The exploit could only be reproduced if the victim was using Firefox. Chrome, Safari as well as Edge did not execute the code. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.48.3, 2.47.8, 2.46.5, 2.45.5, 2.44.7, 2.43.11, and 2.42.17.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

ZITADEL allows users to upload avatar images but lacks proper validation of file contents. Attackers can upload HTML files with image extensions, and when victims with active sessions open these files directly in Firefox, the HTML executes as stored XSS, potentially allowing session hijacking.

MitigationUpgrade to fixed versions (2.48.3, 2.47.8, 2.46.5, 2.45.5, 2.44.7, 2.43.11, or 2.42.17) or implement server-side validation checking file magic bytes and MIME type to ensure uploads are actual images, not HTML documents.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
ZitadelApplication
Affected:< 2.42.17>= 2.43.0, < 2.43.11>= 2.44.0, < 2.44.7>= 2.45.0, < 2.45.5>= 2.46.0, < 2.46.5>= 2.47.0, < 2.47.8>= 2.48.0, < 2.48.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check ZITADEL version
    Run 'zitadel version' or check the container/dbinary metadata to determine the installed version
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected ranges: < 2.42.17, >= 2.43.0 and < 2.43.11, >= 2.44.0 and < 2.44.7, >= 2.45.0 and < 2.45.5, >= 2.46.0 and < 2.46.5, >= 2.47.0 and < 2.47.8, or >= 2.48.0 and < 2.48.3
  2. Verify avatar upload feature is accessible
    Log in as a standard user and attempt to access the avatar upload functionality in the user profile settings
    Affected if The avatar upload feature is enabled and accessible to non-admin users in your deployment
  3. Inspect file storage for suspicious uploads
    Examine the file storage backend (local filesystem, S3, or other configured storage) where avatar uploads are stored. Look for files with image extensions (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif) that may contain HTML content
    Affected if Any uploaded files with image extensions contain HTML markup or script tags when examined
  4. Check for server-side content validation
    Review ZITADEL configuration files or environment settings for file upload validation settings. Inspect the file upload endpoint handler code if accessible to see if magic byte validation or MIME type checking is implemented
    Affected if Server-side validation checking file magic bytes and MIME type is not implemented or is disabled

You are affected if your ZITADEL version is within the affected ranges AND the avatar upload feature is accessible to users without proper server-side file content validation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.42.17 / 2.43.11 / 2.44.7 or later
Fixed in 2.42.172.43.112.44.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to fixed versions (2.48.3, 2.47.8, 2.46.5, 2.45.5, 2.44.7, 2.43.11, or 2.42.17) or implement server-side validation checking file magic bytes and MIME type to ensure uploads are actual images, not HTML documents.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Zitadel 2.48.3 (latest fixed release) or the latest patch version in your current release line

  1. 1. Back up your Zitadel instance and database before upgrading
  2. 2. Identify your current Zitadel version (check the release notes or admin console)
  3. 3. Upgrade Zitadel to one of the fixed versions: 2.42.17, 2.43.11, 2.44.7, 2.45.5, 2.46.5, 2.47.8, or 2.48.3
  4. 4. Use your deployment method (e.g., Docker, Helm chart, binary) to apply the upgrade
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Zitadel version
  6. 6. Test that avatar image upload functionality works correctly with valid image files (PNG, JPG, etc.)
  7. 7. Confirm the fix by attempting to upload an HTML file - it should be rejected
Caveat Review Zitadel release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and target version before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Zitadel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-29891 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data