CVE-2022-0225 in Keycloak
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2022
A flaw was found in Keycloak. This flaw allows a privileged attacker to use the malicious payload as the group name while creating a new group from the admin console, leading to a stored Cross-site scripting (XSS) attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-0225 represents a critical security flaw within the Keycloak identity and access management platform that exposes organizations to persistent cross-site scripting attacks through administrative interfaces. This vulnerability specifically targets the group creation functionality within Keycloak's admin console, where privileged attackers can manipulate input fields to inject malicious payloads that persist in the system. The flaw stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied data during the group creation process, allowing attackers with administrative privileges to craft specially crafted group names containing malicious script code that executes when other users view the group information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which classifies cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in web applications that allow attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability exists because Keycloak fails to properly sanitize or validate the group name parameter before storing it in the database and rendering it in subsequent user interface displays. When an administrator creates a group with a malicious payload in the group name field, the system stores this input without adequate filtering, creating a persistent XSS vector that affects all users who interact with the affected group information. This particular weakness demonstrates a failure in the application's input validation mechanisms and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-0225 extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to establish persistent footholds within Keycloak environments that could facilitate further attacks. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious code through a compromised group name, they can potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of other users, or extract sensitive information from the Keycloak environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the administrative console where attackers already possess elevated privileges, allowing them to craft sophisticated attacks that can compromise the entire authentication infrastructure. This creates a significant risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the identity management system, potentially enabling attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to protected resources throughout the organization's digital ecosystem.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, including immediate patching of affected Keycloak versions and implementation of proper input validation controls. The recommended mitigations align with ATT&CK technique T1548.002, which addresses privilege escalation through the exploitation of administrative interfaces, and emphasize the importance of validating and sanitizing all user inputs before storage and rendering. Security measures should include mandatory input sanitization for all administrative functions, implementation of Content Security Policy headers, regular security testing of administrative interfaces, and monitoring for suspicious group creation activities. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation, privilege least-privilege principles, and regular security audits of administrative interfaces to reduce the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, particularly focusing on input validation, output encoding, and secure configuration management to prevent similar issues in the future.