CVE-2021-3461: Keycloak parent Keycloak Insufficient Session Expiration Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cm29-6wx7-p874
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CVSS 7.1
CWE-613
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-3461 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) keycloak insufficient session expiration vulnerability (CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration) affecting Keycloak parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves keycloak insufficient session expiration. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 14.0.0.

CVE-2021-3461 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-3461
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cm29-6wx7-p874
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration
Affected Product Keycloak parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-3461

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: 14.0.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-parent</artifactId>
    <version>14.0.0</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-2021-3461, 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 14.0.0), 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-613: Insufficient Session Expiration, where according to wasc, "insufficient session expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session ids for authorization.". 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 where keycloak may fail to logout user session if the logout request comes from external SAML identity provider and Principal Type is set to Attribute [Name].

CVE-2021-3461 Affected Keycloak parent Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
14.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.keycloak:keycloak-parent
maven/org.keycloak/keycloak-parent
Maven
< 14.0.0
14.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2021-3461 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3461
Keycloak parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/issues/11203
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1941565

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3461?
CVE-2021-3461 is a security vulnerability in Keycloak parent involving Keycloak insufficient session expiration under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration.
Which Keycloak parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 14.0.0 across affected packages: org.keycloak:keycloak-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2021-3461?
Upgrading to 14.0.0 (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 14.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 14.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-3461?
CVE-2021-3461 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-3461?
CVE-2021-3461 is classified under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration (According to WASC, "Insufficient Session Expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session IDs for authorization.").
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-3461?
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-cm29-6wx7-p874",
  "modified" : "2023-07-11T23:38:35Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-03T00:01:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-3461" ],
  "summary" : "Keycloak insufficient session expiration",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in keycloak where keycloak may fail to logout user session if the logout request comes from external SAML identity provider and Principal Type is set to Attribute [Name].",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.keycloak:keycloak-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "14.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3461"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/issues/11203"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1941565"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-613" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-11T23:38:35Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-04-01T23:15:00Z"
  }
}