CVE-2025-9162 is a vulnerability identified in the Red Hat build of Keycloak version 26.0, specifically within the KeycloakRealmImport custom resource functionality. This component processes imported realm documents, substituting placeholders that may reference environment variables. The vulnerability arises because this substitution mechanism does not properly sanitize or validate the input, allowing an attacker to craft malicious realm documents that inject arbitrary content during the import process. Since environment variables can contain sensitive information, such as credentials or tokens, the injection can lead to the exposure of this sensitive data in cleartext. The attack vector requires network access and high privileges (authenticated user with elevated rights) but does not require user interaction. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality by potentially leaking sensitive environment variable data but does not affect data integrity or system availability. Although no exploits have been reported in the wild, the flaw presents a significant risk in environments where Keycloak is used for identity and access management, especially in automated or semi-automated realm import workflows. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.9 (medium), reflecting the need for authentication and the limited scope of impact. The flaw underscores the importance of secure handling of environment variables and input validation in identity management systems.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-9162 can be substantial, particularly for those relying on Red Hat's Keycloak for centralized identity and access management. Exposure of sensitive environment variables could lead to unauthorized disclosure of credentials or tokens, potentially enabling lateral movement or privilege escalation within enterprise networks. Confidentiality breaches could affect compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations, leading to legal and reputational consequences. Since Keycloak is often integrated with critical business applications and services, any compromise could cascade into broader security incidents. The requirement for high privileges limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in large organizations with many administrators or automated processes that perform realm imports. The lack of impact on integrity and availability reduces the risk of service disruption but does not diminish the importance of protecting sensitive data. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, and healthcare, which have stringent security requirements, may face heightened risks.

To mitigate CVE-2025-9162, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Apply official patches or updates from Red Hat as soon as they become available to address the vulnerability directly. 2) Restrict the ability to perform realm imports to a minimal set of trusted administrators to reduce the risk of malicious document injection. 3) Audit and monitor all realm import activities for unusual or unauthorized operations. 4) Review and minimize the use of sensitive environment variables during realm import processes, avoiding storing critical secrets in environment variables accessible to Keycloak imports. 5) Implement input validation and sanitization controls on realm documents before import, potentially using custom validation scripts or tools. 6) Employ network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Keycloak administrative interfaces. 7) Conduct regular security training for administrators on safe import practices and the risks of environment variable exposure. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific attack vector and operational context of the vulnerability.