CVE-2018-14657: Keycloak parent Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-85v8-vx4w-q684
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-307
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-14657 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts) affecting Keycloak parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves keycloak improper bruteforce detection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.6.0.Final.

CVE-2018-14657 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-14657
GHSA Identifier GHSA-85v8-vx4w-q684
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts
Affected Product Keycloak parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-14657

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: 4.6.0.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-parent</artifactId>
    <version>4.6.0.Final</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-2018-14657, 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 4.6.0.Final), 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-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts, where the product does not implement sufficient measures to prevent multiple failed authentication attempts within a short time frame. 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 4.2.1.Final, 4.3.0.Final. When TOPT enabled, an improper implementation of the Brute Force detection algorithm will not enforce its protection measures.

CVE-2018-14657 Affected Keycloak parent Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.6.0.Final
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.keycloak:keycloak-parent
maven/org.keycloak/keycloak-parent
Maven
< 4.6.0.Final
4.6.0.Final

References

NVD — CVE-2018-14657 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14657
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:35... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3592
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:35... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3593
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:35... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3595
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-14657
Keycloak parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-14657?
CVE-2018-14657 is a security vulnerability in Keycloak parent involving Keycloak Improper Bruteforce Detection under CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts.
Which Keycloak parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.6.0.Final across affected packages: org.keycloak:keycloak-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2018-14657?
Upgrading to 4.6.0.Final (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 4.6.0.Final. Upgrade your dependency to 4.6.0.Final or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-14657?
CVE-2018-14657 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-14657?
CVE-2018-14657 is classified under CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts (The product does not implement sufficient measures to prevent multiple failed authentication attempts within a short time frame.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-14657?
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-85v8-vx4w-q684",
  "modified" : "2023-10-05T21:50:38Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:12:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-14657" ],
  "summary" : "Keycloak Improper Bruteforce Detection",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in Keycloak 4.2.1.Final, 4.3.0.Final. When TOPT enabled, an improper implementation of the Brute Force detection algorithm will not enforce its protection measures.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.keycloak:keycloak-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.6.0.Final"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14657"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3592"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3593"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3595"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-14657"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-307" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-20T23:45:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-11-13T19:29:00Z"
  }
}