Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4: Missing Authorization
CVE-2026-17526 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4 from Red Hat, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.63% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 51% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4 you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4.16 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.6 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.6.7 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Data Grid 8 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion Pack | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Single Sign-On 7 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (redhat.com).
Official description
Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management solution. A vulnerability was discovered where a user with the impersonation role can impersonate a realm administrator. This allows the attacker to gain full administrative control over the realm, including the ability to manage users, clients, and roles.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Missing Authorization
The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
- Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records. For example, a database may restrict access for medical records to a specific database user, but each record might only be intended to be accessible to the patient and the patient's doctor.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
References
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.0 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Missing Authorization vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.