CVE-2018-14637: Keycloak core Improper Authentication Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gf2j-7qwg-4f5x
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-287 CWE-285
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-14637 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) improper authentication vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Keycloak core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper authentication in keycloak. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.6.0.

CVE-2018-14637 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-14637
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gf2j-7qwg-4f5x
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
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: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-2018-14637

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: 4.6.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-core</artifactId>
    <version>4.6.0</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-2018-14637, 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 4.6.0), 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-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. 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

The SAML broker consumer endpoint in Keycloak before version 4.6.0.Final ignores expiration conditions on SAML assertions. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to perform a replay attack.

CVE-2018-14637 Affected Keycloak core Versions

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

References

NVD — CVE-2018-14637 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14637
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-gf2j-7qwg-4f5x

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-14637?
CVE-2018-14637 is a security vulnerability in Keycloak core involving Improper Authentication in Keycloak under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Keycloak core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.6.0 across affected packages: org.keycloak:keycloak-core.
What version fixes CVE-2018-14637?
Upgrading to 4.6.0 (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 4.6.0. Upgrade your dependency to 4.6.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-14637?
CVE-2018-14637 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-14637?
CVE-2018-14637 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-14637?
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-gf2j-7qwg-4f5x",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T22:26:11Z",
  "published" : "2018-12-21T17:48:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-14637" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Authentication in Keycloak",
  "details" : "The SAML broker consumer endpoint in Keycloak before version 4.6.0.Final ignores expiration conditions on SAML assertions. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to perform a replay attack.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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" : "4.6.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14637"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-gf2j-7qwg-4f5x"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-285", "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:36:56Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}