CVE-2020-1714: Keycloak core Improper Input Validation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m6mm-q862-j366
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-1714 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) improper input validation vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Keycloak core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper input validation in keycloak. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 11.0.0.

CVE-2020-1714 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-1714
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m6mm-q862-j366
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Keycloak core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2020-1714

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Keycloak core 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-core fixed: 11.0.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-core</artifactId>
    <version>11.0.0</version>
</dependency>
org.keycloak:keycloak-common fixed: 11.0.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-common</artifactId>
    <version>11.0.0</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-2020-1714, 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 core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 11.0.0), 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-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 core, 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 before version 11.0.0, where the code base contains usages of ObjectInputStream without type checks. This flaw allows an attacker to inject arbitrarily serialized Java Objects, which would then get deserialized in a privileged context and potentially lead to remote code execution.

CVE-2020-1714 Affected Keycloak core Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
11.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.keycloak:keycloak-core
maven/org.keycloak/keycloak-core
Maven
< 11.0.0
11.0.0
org.keycloak:keycloak-common
maven/org.keycloak/keycloak-common
Maven
< 11.0.0
11.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-1714 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1714
Keycloak core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/pull/7053
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/commit/33863ba16117844930a38ebde57a25258f5b80fd
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-1714
Keycloak core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-1714?
CVE-2020-1714 is a security vulnerability in Keycloak core involving Improper Input Validation in Keycloak under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Keycloak core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 11.0.0 across affected packages: org.keycloak:keycloak-core, org.keycloak:keycloak-common.
What version fixes CVE-2020-1714?
Upgrading to 11.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is keycloak-core affected?
Yes, org.keycloak:keycloak-core is affected in releases prior to 11.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 11.0.0 or later.
Is keycloak-common affected?
Yes, org.keycloak:keycloak-common is affected in releases prior to 11.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 11.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-1714?
CVE-2020-1714 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-1714?
CVE-2020-1714 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-2020-1714?
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-m6mm-q862-j366",
  "modified" : "2023-09-25T11:16:54Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T00:56:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-1714" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Input Validation in Keycloak",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in Keycloak before version 11.0.0, where the code base contains usages of ObjectInputStream without type checks. This flaw allows an attacker to inject arbitrarily serialized Java Objects, which would then get deserialized in a privileged context and potentially lead to remote code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.keycloak:keycloak-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "11.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.keycloak:keycloak-common"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "11.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1714"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/pull/7053"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak/commit/33863ba16117844930a38ebde57a25258f5b80fd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-1714"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-01T22:02:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-05-13T19:15:00Z"
  }
}