CVE-2016-8609: Keycloak core Keycloak-core Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-95m6-mjh3-58gm
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-384 CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-8609 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) keycloak-core vulnerability (CWE-384: Session Fixation) affecting Keycloak core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves keycloak-core. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.0.

CVE-2016-8609 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-8609
GHSA Identifier GHSA-95m6-mjh3-58gm
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-384: Session Fixation
Affected Product Keycloak core
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
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-2016-8609

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: 2.3.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-core</artifactId>
    <version>2.3.0</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-2016-8609, 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 2.3.0), 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-384: Session Fixation, where authenticating a user, or otherwise establishing a new user session, without invalidating any existing session identifier gives an attacker the opportunity to steal authenticated sessions. 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

It was found that the keycloak before 2.3.0 did not implement authentication flow correctly. An attacker could use this flaw to construct a phishing URL, from which he could hijack the user's session. This could lead to information disclosure, or permit further possible attacks.

CVE-2016-8609 Affected Keycloak core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.keycloak:keycloak-core
maven/org.keycloak/keycloak-core
Maven
< 2.3.0
2.3.0

References

NVD — CVE-2016-8609 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8609
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-95m6-mjh3-58gm

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-8609?
CVE-2016-8609 is a security vulnerability in Keycloak core involving keycloak-core under CWE-384: Session Fixation.
Which Keycloak core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.0 across affected packages: org.keycloak:keycloak-core.
What version fixes CVE-2016-8609?
Upgrading to 2.3.0 (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 2.3.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-8609?
CVE-2016-8609 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-8609?
CVE-2016-8609 is classified under CWE-384: Session Fixation (Authenticating a user, or otherwise establishing a new user session, without invalidating any existing session identifier gives an attacker the opportunity to steal authenticated sessions.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-8609?
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-95m6-mjh3-58gm",
  "modified" : "2022-09-17T00:55:51Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-18T16:48:41Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-8609" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Authentication in org.keycloak:keycloak-core",
  "details" : "It was found that the keycloak before 2.3.0 did not implement authentication flow correctly. An attacker could use this flaw to construct a phishing URL, from which he could hijack the user's session. This could lead to information disclosure, or permit further possible attacks.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.keycloak:keycloak-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8609"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-95m6-mjh3-58gm"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287", "CWE-384" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:27:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}