# CVE-2026-53913: Apache Camel: KeycloakSecurityPolicy has Improper Authentication, Missing Authentication for Critical Function and Failing Open Vulnerabilities > Attackers can bypass authentication in Apache Camel Keycloak routes by sending any non-null bearer token, potentially leading to unauthenticated remote code execution. - **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Not needed - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 6 Jul 2026 - **Updated:** 7 Jul 2026 - **Also known as:** GHSA-qvc3-6q9x-95pj ## What is CVE-2026-53913? CVE-2026-53913 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Apache Camel, published on 6 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description Improper Authentication, Missing Authentication for Critical Function, Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open') vulnerability in Apache Camel Keycloak Component. The KeycloakSecurityPolicy of camel-keycloak guards a route by running KeycloakSecurityProcessor.beforeProcess(), which performs three checks in sequence: it rejects a request that carries no access token, then - only if requiredRoles is non-empty - validates the roles, and - only if requiredPermissions is non-empty - validates the permissions. The actual cryptographic verification of the bearer access token (signature, issuer and expiry for a local JWT, or active-state and issuer for token introspection) is performed exclusively inside those role and permission checks. KeycloakSecurityPolicy defaults requiredRoles and requiredPermissions to empty - which is the documented 'Basic Setup' - so on a route configured that way the role and permission checks are skipped and the access token is therefore never verified. The token-presence check still rejects a missing token, but an invalid token is accepted: any non-null value in the Authorization: Bearer header - including an arbitrary string or a forged, unsigned JWT - passes the policy and the request reaches the protected route, with no signature, issuer or expiry check and no request to Keycloak. The token is read from the inbound request header because allowTokenFromHeader defaults to true. Because the normal reason to place a route behind this policy is that the route performs server-side work, the bypass results in unauthenticated access to that work; where the protected route forwards to a code-execution-capable producer, it can result in unauthenticated remote code execution. This defect is independent of CVE-2026-23552: that issue concerned the issuer claim and was fixed by adding a check inside the verification routine, but here the verification routine is not reached at all in the default configuration, so the defect remains. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.15.0 before 4.18.3, from 4.19.0 before 4.21.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.21.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.18.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.3. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, configure a non-empty requiredRoles or requiredPermissions on every KeycloakSecurityPolicy so that the token-verification path is exercised, set allowTokenFromHeader to false where the token is not expected from the request header, or perform token verification at the framework layer ahead of the policy. Weakness: CWE-636 (Not Failing Securely), CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality), CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53913? 4 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak. It affects 1 product. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak` | Maven | From 4.15.0 | 4.18.3 | | `org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak` | Maven | From 4.15.0 | 4.18.3 | | `org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak` | Maven | From 4.19.0 | 4.21.0 | | `org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak` | Maven | From 4.19.0 | 4.21.0 | Products: Apache Camel. ## How do I fix CVE-2026-53913? Upgrade org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak to a fixed version for your release line: 4.18.3 or 4.21.0. ## Is CVE-2026-53913 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53913 in the wild and no public exploit code. Public exploit code: - PoC reproducer for CVE-2026-53913 (Apache Camel camel-keycloak): KeycloakSecurityPolicy fails open in the Basic Setup — with no required roles/permissions the token is never verified, so any forged/garbage bearer token bypasses authentication (unauthenticated RCE). Fixed in 4.18.3/4.21.0. (github_poc): https://github.com/oscerd/CVE-2026-53913 ## Other vulnerabilities in Apache Camel - [CVE-2026-33453](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33453/): Apache camel-coap allows header injection that can lead to remote code execution (critical 10.0) - [CVE-2026-40453](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40453/): Apache Camel has an incomplete fix for CVE-2025-27636 (critical 9.9) - [CVE-2026-80351](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80351/): Apache Camel K: Camel K Tenant repositories reach Maven execution inside operator pod (critical 9.8) - [CVE-2026-80352](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80352/): Apache Camel K: Camel K Master trait serviceAccountName YAML injection lets CR author apply arbitrary objects (critical 9.8) - [CVE-2026-71300](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-71300/): Apache Camel: Camel-Atmosphere-Websocket: WebSocket dispatch header injection (critical 9.8) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2026-53913 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2026-53913 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Apache Camel, published on 6 Jul 2026. 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-2026-53913 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected packages and fixed versions: - org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak (Maven): affected from 4.15.0; fixed in 4.18.3 - org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak (Maven): affected from 4.15.0; fixed in 4.18.3 - org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak (Maven): affected from 4.19.0; fixed in 4.21.0 - org.apache.camel:camel-keycloak (Maven): affected from 4.19.0; fixed in 4.21.0 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-2026-53913/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53913/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53913 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53913 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53913 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53913/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.