CVE-2021-20222: Keycloak parent Code Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2mq8-99q7-55wx
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CVSS 8.3
CWE-20 CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-20222 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.3) code injection vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Keycloak parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves code injection in keycloak. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 12.0.3.

CVE-2021-20222 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-20222
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2mq8-99q7-55wx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.3
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Keycloak parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-20222

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Keycloak parent dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.keycloak:keycloak-parent fixed: 12.0.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-parent</artifactId>
    <version>12.0.3</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.keycloak

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-20222, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.keycloak

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Keycloak parent in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 12.0.3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.keycloak command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Keycloak parent, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A flaw was found in keycloak. The new account console in keycloak can allow malicious code to be executed using the referrer URL. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.

CVE-2021-20222 Affected Keycloak parent Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
12.0.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.keycloak:keycloak-parent
maven/org.keycloak/keycloak-parent
Maven
≥ 9.0.0
< 12.0.3
12.0.3

References

NVD — CVE-2021-20222 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20222
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/commit/3b80eee5bfdf2b80c47465c0f2eaf70074808741
Keycloak parent Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2021-20222
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1924606

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-20222?
CVE-2021-20222 is a security vulnerability in Keycloak parent involving Code injection in keycloak under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Keycloak parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 12.0.3 across affected packages: org.keycloak:keycloak-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2021-20222?
Upgrading to 12.0.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is keycloak-parent affected?
Yes, org.keycloak:keycloak-parent is affected in releases prior to 12.0.3. Upgrade your dependency to 12.0.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-20222?
CVE-2021-20222 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-20222?
CVE-2021-20222 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-20222?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.keycloak'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2mq8-99q7-55wx",
  "modified" : "2021-03-24T23:54:00Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-13T22:29:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-20222" ],
  "summary" : "Code injection in keycloak",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in keycloak. The new account console in keycloak can allow malicious code to be executed using the referrer URL. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.keycloak:keycloak-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.0.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20222"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/commit/3b80eee5bfdf2b80c47465c0f2eaf70074808741"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2021-20222"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1924606"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-24T23:54:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-23T17:15:00Z"
  }
}