Authenticated privilege escalation via silent token removal
Published May 27, 2026 · Updated May 27, 2026
Improper input validation in Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4 and 26.6 allows remote authenticated users to gain service-account privileges. The OIDC TokenEndpoint silently removes a subject_token JWT longer than 4,000 characters, then token exchange falls back to client credentials. A low-privileged account, an enabled token-exchange flow, and usable client credentials are required; successful requests inherit the client's service-account permissions.
Summary
What happened
Improper input validation in Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4 and 26.6 allows remote authenticated users to gain service-account privileges. The OIDC TokenEndpoint silently removes a subject_token JWT longer than 4,000 characters, then token exchange falls back to client credentials. A low-privileged account, an enabled token-exchange flow, and usable client credentials are required; successful requests inherit the client's service-account permissions.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-9704
- Published
- May 27, 2026
- Updated
- May 27, 2026
- Vendor
- 389 Directory Server
- Product
- Red Hat build of Keycloak
- Classifications
- CWE-1284, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 27, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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