CVE-2026-85301 in Camel
Summary
by MITRE • 10/19/2026
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Apache Camel Keycloak component.
This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.15.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1.
The security processor validated the issuer of an introspected token only when the introspection response actually carried an iss claim. When the claim was absent the check was skipped rather than treated as a failure, so a token that the configured issuer did not mint could be accepted provided the introspection endpoint answered without naming an issuer. Reaching this requires an introspection endpoint that omits iss and accepts tokens from more than one issuer, which is not the default Keycloak arrangement, hence the low severity; where that arrangement exists the consequence is that the deployment authenticates a caller it should have rejected.
Upgrade to Apache Camel 4.23.0, which fixes the issue. Users on the 4.18.x LTS releases stream should upgrade to 4.18.5. Users on the 4.22.x LTS releases stream should upgrade to 4.22.1. An absent iss claim is now treated as a validation failure rather than as a reason to skip the check. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, ensure the introspection endpoint returns the iss claim, and that it serves exactly one issuer.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2026
The vulnerability identified in Apache Camel versions 4.15.0 through 4.18.4 and 4.19.0 through 4.22.0 represents a critical flaw in the authentication logic of the Keycloak component, specifically within the security processor responsible for validating OAuth2 introspection responses. This issue stems from an improper handling of missing claims during token validation, leading to a bypass of essential identity verification mechanisms. The core technical failure lies in how the system processes the issuer claim, known as iss, which is mandated by RFC 7662 and standard OIDC practices to ensure that tokens are accepted only if they originate from a trusted authority. In vulnerable versions, when an introspection response returned by the authorization server did not include the iss claim, the Apache Camel processor incorrectly interpreted this absence as a condition to skip issuer validation entirely rather than treating it as a fatal error indicating invalid or untrusted credentials.
This logic flaw creates a scenario where tokens issued by unauthorized or malicious identity providers could be accepted if they were successfully introspected by an endpoint that fails to return the iss claim. The operational impact is significant because authentication bypass allows attackers to impersonate legitimate users or services, potentially gaining unauthorized access to protected resources and APIs integrated with Apache Camel routes. While the severity is generally assessed as low due to the specific configuration requirements needed to exploit this flaw—namely, an introspection endpoint that both omits the iss claim and accepts tokens from multiple issuers—the risk remains substantial in environments where such configurations exist or are misconfigured. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which describes Improper Authentication, as it involves a failure to correctly verify the identity of a user or system based on provided credentials.
From an offensive security perspective, this flaw can be leveraged using techniques associated with MITRE ATT&CK T1078, specifically Valid Accounts and potentially T1528 if combined with token theft, allowing adversaries to establish persistence within the network by exploiting trusted integrations. The exploitation requires interaction with the introspection endpoint, meaning it is primarily a threat vector for backend service-to-service communication or API gateways rather than direct user-facing attacks unless an attacker can manipulate the response from the identity provider. To mitigate this risk immediately upon discovery of such configurations, organizations should ensure that their Keycloak instances and other OAuth2 providers are configured to always include the iss claim in introspection responses. Furthermore, strict enforcement of single-issuer policies prevents ambiguity in token validation contexts.
The definitive resolution for this vulnerability is found in Apache Camel version 4.23.0, where the security processor has been patched to treat an absent iss claim as a validation failure rather than skipping the check. This change ensures that any token lacking proper issuer identification is rejected outright, closing the authentication bypass gap. For organizations operating on long-term support streams who cannot immediately upgrade to the latest version, specific patch releases are available: users of the 4.18.x LTS stream should update to version 4.18.5, while those on the 4.22.x LTS stream must upgrade to version 4.22.1. These updates incorporate the corrected logic that enforces strict compliance with issuer validation requirements regardless of whether the claim is present in the introspection response.