KeycloakApplication · Redhat
CVE-2016-8609
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIt was found that the keycloak before 2.3.0 did not implement authentication flow correctly. An attacker could use this flaw to construct a phishing URL, from which he could hijack the user's session. This could lead to information disclosure, or permit further possible attacks.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceKeycloak before version 2.3.0 had a flaw in its authentication flow implementation that allowed attackers to craft malicious phishing URLs to hijack user sessions. This authentication bypass could lead to information disclosure and enable further attacks.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
KeycloakApplication
< 2.3.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Keycloak installation and versionAccess the Keycloak admin console or check the server's welcome page to view the installed Keycloak version. Alternatively, check the keycloak.war file version or the version file in the Keycloak distribution directory.Affected if The displayed version is lower than 2.3.0 (for example, 2.2.x, 2.1.x, 2.0.x, or 1.x releases)
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Confirm the product name is Red Hat KeycloakVerify the running application is specifically Red Hat Keycloak and not a different identity management solution. Check the product branding in the admin console header or welcome page.Affected if The product is Red Hat Keycloak and the version check shows it is below 2.3.0
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Review authentication flow configurationsLog into the Keycloak admin console and navigate to Authentication > Flows. Examine the configured authentication flows to understand the current setup.Affected if Any authentication flow is active on a Keycloak version below 2.3.0, as the vulnerability exists in the authentication flow implementation itself
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Check server logs for authentication anomaliesReview Keycloak server logs for unusual authentication requests, especially those with unexpected parameters or patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.Affected if Suspicious authentication patterns are found and the Keycloak version is below 2.3.0
You are affected if your installed Red Hat Keycloak version is any release prior to 2.3.0, as the authentication flow bypass vulnerability exists in those versions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data2.3.0
Upgrade Keycloak to version 2.3.0 or later to remediate the authentication flow vulnerability, and audit recent authentication logs for signs of exploitation.
Fix this in Keycloak
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8609 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-8609 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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