VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-97846: Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.6.8 · Improper Authentication

Affects Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.6.8Source CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.8 Medium.

Data as of 9 Nov 2026, 11:38 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.8Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

CVSS scores by source
CNA (redhat)	CVSS 3.1	6.8

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 9 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.6.8keycloak-services	Affected–	Fixed in–
Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.6.8rhbk/keycloak-rhel9	Affected–	Fixed in–
Red Hat Single Sign-On 7keycloak-services	Affected–	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Currently, no mitigation is available or meets Red Hat's criteria for ease of use, applicability, and stability. Users should monitor Red Hat advisories for updates or patches addressing this issue. Until a fix is released, restricting access to client credentials and tokens and enforcing strict credential management policies are prudent, but no direct workaround exists.

Description

CVE-2026-97846 is an authentication vulnerability in the Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.6.8 involving the Standard Token Exchange V2 feature. The flaw allows an attacker who already has stolen client credentials and a valid subject token to bypass mTLS holder-of-key binding protections. This results in the attacker obtaining an unrestricted bearer token that is not bound to the original client's certificate, undermining token security. Exploitation requires specific non-default configurations and valid credentials. No effective mitigation is currently available that meets Red Hat's criteria for ease of use and broad applicability.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to bypass mTLS sender-constraints and obtain bearer tokens that are not bound to the original client's certificate. This can lead to unauthorized access with elevated privileges, compromising confidentiality and integrity of protected resources. The attack requires possession of valid client credentials and a valid subject token, limiting the scope to attackers who have already breached some authentication factors. There is no impact on availability. No known exploits are reported in the wild.

Summary

Keycloak's mTLS holder-of-key binding feature ensures tokens are bound to the client's digital certificate, preventing token misuse. However, the Standard Token Exchange V2 feature fails to enforce this certificate check, allowing attackers with stolen client credentials and a valid subject token to obtain unconstrained bearer tokens. This vulnerability arises from a missing enforcement check in the Standard Token Exchange V2 grant provider. The Red Hat Product Security team rates this vulnerability as Moderate severity (CVSS 6.8) due to the requirement for valid credentials and specific configurations. No effective mitigation options currently exist that satisfy Red Hat's deployment and stability standards.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 6 Nov 2026, 11:47 UTC

Technical details

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