# CVE-2020-1728: Improper Restriction of Rendered UI Layers or Frames in Keycloak

> Missing HTTP security headers in Keycloak Admin Console responses facilitate clickjacking and channel downgrade attacks.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 Apr 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3gg7-9q2x-79fc

## What is CVE-2020-1728?

CVE-2020-1728 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Keycloak, published on 6 Apr 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability was found in all versions of Keycloak where, the pages on the Admin Console area of the application are completely missing general HTTP security headers in HTTP-responses. This does not directly lead to a security issue, yet it might aid attackers in their efforts to exploit other problems. The flaws unnecessarily make the servers more prone to Clickjacking, channel downgrade attacks and other similar client-based attack vectors.

Weakness: CWE-1021 (Improper Restriction of Rendered UI Layers or Frames), CWE-358 (Improperly Implemented Security Check for Standard)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1728?

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


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-core` | Maven | All versions to 9.0.3 | None |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-core` | Maven | All versions to 9.0.3 | None |

Products: Quarkus Quarkus, Redhat Keycloak.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1728?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2020-1728 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1728 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Redhat Keycloak

- [CVE-2022-4116](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4116/): Code injection in quarkus dev ui config editor (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-2466](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2466/): Quarkus does not terminate HTTP requests header context (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-12225](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12225/): Io.quarkus:quarkus-security-webauthn: quarkus webauthn unexpected authentication bypass (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-39852](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39852/): Quarkus authorization bypass via semicolon path normalization inconsistency (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-0981](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0981/): Privilege escalation in quarkus (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-1728 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1728 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Keycloak, published on 6 Apr 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1728 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.keycloak:keycloak-core (Maven): affected all versions up to 9.0.3; no fix listed
- org.keycloak:keycloak-core (Maven): affected all versions up to 9.0.3; no fix listed

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-2020-1728/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1728/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1728
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1728
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1728

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1728/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.