CVE-2019-10169: Keycloak authz client Keycloak Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9c24-43p5-fv82
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CVSS 7.2
CWE-267
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-10169 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.2) keycloak code execution vulnerability (CWE-267: Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions) affecting Keycloak authz client libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves keycloak code execution via uma policy abuse. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 8.0.0.

CVE-2019-10169 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-10169
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9c24-43p5-fv82
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.2
CWE Classification CWE-267: Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions
Affected Product Keycloak authz client
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.2

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
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-2019-10169

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Keycloak authz client 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-authz-client fixed: 8.0.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.keycloak</groupId>
    <artifactId>keycloak-authz-client</artifactId>
    <version>8.0.0</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-2019-10169, 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 authz client in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 8.0.0), 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-267: Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions, where a particular privilege, role, capability, or right can be used to perform unsafe actions that were not intended, even when it is assigned to the correct entity. In Keycloak authz client, 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’s user-managed access interface, where it would permit a script to be set in the UMA policy. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker with UMA permissions to configure a malicious script to trigger and execute arbitrary code with the permissions of the user running application.

CVE-2019-10169 Affected Keycloak authz client Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
8.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.keycloak:keycloak-authz-client
maven/org.keycloak/keycloak-authz-client
Maven
< 8.0.0
8.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2019-10169 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10169
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-10169
Keycloak authz client Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak
Keycloak authz client Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGKEYCLOAK-568797

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-10169?
CVE-2019-10169 is a security vulnerability in Keycloak authz client involving Keycloak code execution via UMA policy abuse under CWE-267: Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions.
Which Keycloak authz client versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 8.0.0 across affected packages: org.keycloak:keycloak-authz-client.
What version fixes CVE-2019-10169?
Upgrading to 8.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is keycloak-authz-client affected?
Yes, org.keycloak:keycloak-authz-client is affected in releases prior to 8.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 8.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-10169?
CVE-2019-10169 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-10169?
CVE-2019-10169 is classified under CWE-267: Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions (A particular privilege, role, capability, or right can be used to perform unsafe actions that were not intended, even when it is assigned to the correct entity.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-10169?
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-9c24-43p5-fv82",
  "modified" : "2024-04-23T17:36:16Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T22:28:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-10169" ],
  "summary" : "Keycloak code execution via UMA policy abuse",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in Keycloak’s user-managed access interface, where it would permit a script to be set in the UMA policy. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker with UMA permissions to configure a malicious script to trigger and execute arbitrary code with the permissions of the user running application.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.keycloak:keycloak-authz-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10169"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-10169"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGKEYCLOAK-568797"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-267" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-23T17:36:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-05-08T14:15:00Z"
  }
}