CVE-2025-23368 in Build of Keycloak
Summary
by MITRE • 03/04/2025
A flaw was found in Wildfly Elytron integration. The component does not implement sufficient measures to prevent multiple failed authentication attempts within a short time frame, making it more susceptible to brute force attacks via CLI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-23368 resides within the Wildfly Elytron integration component, which serves as a critical security framework for authentication and authorization in Red Hat Wildfly application servers. This flaw represents a significant weakness in the system's defensive mechanisms against automated attack vectors, particularly those targeting command line interfaces where administrative access is commonly obtained. The issue stems from insufficient rate limiting and account lockout mechanisms that should normally prevent attackers from systematically guessing credentials through repeated authentication attempts. The vulnerability directly impacts the security posture of systems relying on Wildfly Elytron for their authentication infrastructure, potentially exposing sensitive administrative interfaces to unauthorized access.
Technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to conduct brute force authentication attacks against CLI endpoints with minimal risk of detection or account lockout. The flaw allows for rapid successive authentication attempts without adequate throttling or monitoring mechanisms, creating an environment where credential stuffing and password spraying attacks can proceed with high success rates. This weakness aligns with CWE-307, which addresses inadequate account lockout mechanisms, and represents a failure to implement proper authentication attempt monitoring as outlined in NIST SP 800-63B guidelines for authentication systems. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in environments where administrative access is frequently required through CLI interfaces, making it particularly dangerous for production systems with high-value administrative accounts.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-23368 extends beyond simple credential compromise, as successful exploitation can lead to full system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive data. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access confidential information, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the application server environment. The lack of effective rate limiting creates a window of opportunity for attackers to systematically work through common password lists or exploit weak credential policies within the organization's authentication framework. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1110.003, which covers credential guessing through brute force attacks, and represents a significant gap in the defense-in-depth strategy for protecting administrative interfaces.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including configuration of robust account lockout policies, implementation of rate limiting for authentication attempts, and deployment of intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious authentication patterns. Network segmentation and multi-factor authentication deployment should be prioritized to reduce the attack surface and provide additional layers of protection. System administrators should also consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect and respond to rapid authentication failure patterns, while ensuring that all administrative accounts follow strong password policies and are regularly audited for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper authentication design principles and adherence to security standards such as those outlined in ISO 27001 and NIST cybersecurity frameworks for protecting critical system interfaces.