# CVE-2020-1718: Improper Authentication for Keycloak

> Attackers can bypass authentication in the credential reset flow to gain unauthorized access to Keycloak applications.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 May 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j229-2h63-rvh9

## What is CVE-2020-1718?

CVE-2020-1718 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Redhat Keycloak, published on 12 May 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in the reset credential flow in all Keycloak versions before 8.0.0. This flaw allows an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the application.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1718?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.keycloak:keycloak-parent. It affects 3 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-parent` | Maven | All versions | 8.0.0 |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-parent` | Maven | All versions | 8.0.0 |

Products: Redhat Jboss Fuse, Redhat Keycloak, Redhat Openshift Application Runtimes.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1718?

Upgrade org.keycloak:keycloak-parent to 8.0.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2020-1718 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1718 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Redhat Keycloak

- [CVE-2020-27782](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27782/): Denial of service in Undertow (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2020-10718](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10718/): Security feature bypass in Wildfly (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2016-1000229](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-1000229/): Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation in swagger-ui (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2014-8175](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-8175/): Auth bypass in n/a (medium 6.0)
- [CVE-2020-10734](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10734/): OIDC Logout redirect in keycloak (low 3.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-1718 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1718 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Redhat Keycloak, published on 12 May 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1718 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.keycloak:keycloak-parent (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 8.0.0
- org.keycloak:keycloak-parent (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 8.0.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1718/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1718/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1718
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1718
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1718

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1718/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.