CVE-2024-10270 in Keycloak
Summary
by MITRE • 11/25/2024
A vulnerability was found in the Keycloak-services package. If untrusted data is passed to the SearchQueryUtils method, it could lead to a denial of service (DoS) scenario by exhausting system resources due to a Regex complexity.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2026
The vulnerability identified in the Keycloak-services package represents a significant security concern that exploits a weakness in input validation mechanisms within the SearchQueryUtils method. This flaw demonstrates how seemingly benign data processing operations can be manipulated to create substantial operational disruptions. The issue specifically arises when untrusted data is passed through the search functionality, where the system fails to properly sanitize or validate input before processing it through regular expression patterns.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the implementation of regular expressions within the SearchQueryUtils method which exhibits exponential time complexity when processing malformed input patterns. This behavior aligns with common weaknesses categorized under CWE-1321, which addresses issues related to regular expression denial of service vulnerabilities. The vulnerability operates by constructing malicious input strings that cause the regex engine to perform an excessive number of operations, leading to resource exhaustion and ultimately system instability. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially designed search queries that trigger the problematic regex patterns, causing the application to consume excessive CPU cycles and memory resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially affecting the availability of critical authentication services within Keycloak environments. When exploited successfully, the denial of service scenario can render authentication systems temporarily or permanently unavailable, affecting user access to protected applications and services. This type of attack vector is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where centralized identity management solutions like Keycloak serve as critical infrastructure components. The vulnerability can be leveraged by attackers to perform resource exhaustion attacks that may go undetected while causing significant operational damage.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and sanitization measures within the SearchQueryUtils method to prevent malicious regex patterns from being processed. Security practitioners should consider implementing rate limiting mechanisms, input length restrictions, and comprehensive regex pattern validation to prevent exploitation of the vulnerability. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions that can detect unusual resource consumption patterns indicative of regex denial of service attacks. The remediation approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which addresses evasion through resource exhaustion attacks, emphasizing the need for robust defensive measures against such threats. Additionally, regular updates and patches should be applied to ensure that known vulnerabilities are addressed promptly, while also implementing proper security testing procedures including static code analysis and dynamic vulnerability scanning to identify similar issues in other components of the system.