# CVE-2026-3121: Keycloak: org.keycloak/keycloak-services: keycloak: privilege escalation via manage-clients permission

> Administrators with manage-clients permission can escalate privileges to manage roles and users when realm-level admin permissions are enabled.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 2 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** ECHO-73ab-600d-62be, GHSA-7xf9-4jfc-wgm4, MINI-c298-r83g-6vmc, MINI-j996-x997-3v6w

## What is CVE-2026-3121?

CVE-2026-3121 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Build of Keycloak, published on 26 Mar 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in Keycloak. An administrator with `manage-clients` permission can exploit a misconfiguration where this permission is equivalent to `manage-permissions`. This allows the administrator to escalate privileges and gain control over roles, users, or other administrative functions within the realm. This privilege escalation can occur when admin permissions are enabled at the realm level.

Weakness: CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-3121?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.keycloak:keycloak-services. It affects 4 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-services` | Maven | All versions | 26.5.6 |
| `org.keycloak:keycloak-services` | Maven | All versions | 26.5.6 |

Products: Redhat Build of Keycloak, Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform, Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion Pack, Redhat Single Sign-On.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-3121?

Upgrade org.keycloak:keycloak-services to 26.5.6 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-3121 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-3121 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Redhat Build of Keycloak

- [CVE-2026-15572](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-15572/): Keycloak-services: keycloak-services: dcr protocol mapper type-swap policy bypass allows privilege escalation (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-3047](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3047/): Keycloak SAML Broken has Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-15573](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-15573/): Keycloak-services: keycloak-services: authorization bypass via unnormalized uri matching in pathmatcher (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2026-16102](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16102/): Keycloak-services: keycloak-services: default dcr policy allows role forgery via user property mappers (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2026-1609](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-1609/): Org.keycloak/keycloak-quarkus-server: keycloak: unauthorized access via jwt authorization grant with disabled users (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-3121 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-3121 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Build of Keycloak, published on 26 Mar 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-3121 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.keycloak:keycloak-services (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 26.5.6
- org.keycloak:keycloak-services (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 26.5.6

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-2026-3121/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3121/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-3121
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-3121
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-3121

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3121/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.