LinkedIn SSO Flaw Bypasses Password Reset Protections

 

While digging into LinkedIn’s account security behavior, I came across a serious flaw involving its integration with Google’s Single Sign-On (SSO). The vulnerability challenges the very assumption that resetting your password and logging out from all devices truly protects your account.

Here’s what I found: after changing the LinkedIn password and choosing the “log out from all devices” option, I expected all active sessions to be terminated. However, if someone is still logged into the associated Gmail account, they can simply tap “Sign in with Google” on LinkedIn—and get right back in. No need for the old password. No challenge. Nothing.

This behavior essentially means LinkedIn prioritizes a still-active Google session over the fact that the user explicitly requested a complete logout. In real-world situations—like when a hacker has access to your Gmail on a shared or compromised device—this flaw could allow them to regain access to your LinkedIn account immediately after you thought you had locked them out.

I believe this undermines the purpose of password resets and logout actions. SSO integrations should never bypass deliberate security measures like full logouts. While my report was eventually marked as a duplicate, I think this issue deserves closer scrutiny. Security must follow user intent—especially when that intent is to cut off all unauthorized access.

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