KeycloakApplication · Redhat
CVE-2020-1697
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 in all keycloak versions before 9.0.0 that links to external applications (Application Links) in the admin console are not validated properly and could allow Stored XSS attacks. An authed malicious user could create URLs to trick users in other realms, and possibly conduct further 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 confidenceStored XSS vulnerability in Keycloak admin console's Application Links feature allows an authenticated malicious user to create malicious URLs that can execute in browsers of users in other realms, due to improper validation of external application links.
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
< 9.0.0
Single Sign OnApplication
= 7.3CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 installed Keycloak versionCheck the version file in the Keycloak installation directory (e.g., version file in $KEYCLOAK_HOME or check server startup logs). For RH SSO, check the product version in the admin console about section or RPM package.Affected if Version is below 9.0.0 for Keycloak, or exactly 7.3 for Red Hat Single Sign-On.
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Confirm admin console accessLog into the Keycloak/RH SSO admin console at /auth/admin/ with administrative credentials. Navigate to the realm being checked.Affected if Admin console is accessible and the user has administrative privileges.
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Locate Application Links featureIn the admin console, look for 'Application Links' in the left navigation menu, typically under the 'Realm Settings' or 'Identity Providers' section depending on version.Affected if The Application Links feature exists and is visible in the admin console navigation.
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Inspect stored application links for XSS payloadsAccess the Application Links configuration panel and examine any configured external application links. Check link URLs, names, and descriptions for suspicious script tags, javascript: URIs, or encoded payloads.Affected if Malicious application links have been created and stored, containing XSS vectors such as <script> tags or event handlers in URL parameters.
You are affected if your Keycloak version is below 9.0.0 (or RH SSO 7.3) AND the Application Links feature is accessible in your admin console AND malicious application links have been injected by an authenticated attacker.
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 data9.0.0
Upgrade Keycloak to version 9.0.0 or later which contains the fix for proper validation of Application Links.
Fix this in Keycloak
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-1697 — 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-2020-1697 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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