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Overview

A newly identified vulnerability, CVE-2025-0604, impacts Keycloak—an open-source identity and access management tool used by many organizations to handle authentication and user directories. This flaw affects how Keycloak integrates with Active Directory (AD) via LDAP. Specifically, when users reset their passwords, Keycloak does not verify the new password via an LDAP bind to AD. This behavior can allow users whose accounts are expired or disabled in AD to log in successfully through Keycloak—bypassing critical security controls.

Read on for clear details, a simplified proof-of-concept, and links to official sources.

What’s Going On? (Technical Breakdown)

When tied to AD using LDAP, Keycloak is expected to let AD enforce access controls: if your account is disabled, expired, or locked, you can’t sign in. Normally, this is achieved by Keycloak attempting an LDAP bind (think: “logging in to AD with your password”) both before and after a password reset.

The Issue:
Keycloak’s password reset workflow *skips* this crucial post-reset LDAP bind. After allowing a user to reset their password, the system updates the AD credentials without making sure the new credentials are valid or if the AD account is even allowed to log in (e.g., not expired or disabled).

Consequence:
Any user whose account is disabled or expired in AD can still reset their password using Keycloak (if allowed), and then log in as if nothing happened—bypassing AD’s restrictions entirely.

Let’s See It (Code Example)

Below is a simplified excerpt that illustrates the vulnerable workflow in Keycloak’s password reset logic.

// Keycloak's password reset flow for LDAP users (simplified)

public void resetLdapPassword(User user, String newPassword) {
    // Step 1: Update the password in LDAP
    ldapProvider.updatePassword(user.getUsername(), newPassword); // No LDAP bind here!

    // Step 2: No attempt to authenticate with AD after setting
    // Thus, if AD account is expired/disabled, Keycloak never finds out

    // The user can now log in with new password through Keycloak, regardless of AD state!
}

A secure flow should include a verification step

// Secure approach (what should happen)
if (ldapProvider.authenticate(user.getUsername(), newPassword)) {
    // Only allow login if AD bind succeeds (i.e., account is in good standing)
    // This would fail for disabled or expired AD accounts
}

Attack Precondition:

You’re a user whose AD account is expired, disabled, or locked. Normally, you can’t access anything.

Keycloak Updates AD Password:

Keycloak sets your new password in AD, but does not try to log in and check your AD account status.

Bypass Restrictions:

You can now log in to Keycloak. Because Keycloak doesn’t check with AD after the reset, it “thinks” your account is fine—even though AD would have blocked you.

Result:
You have unauthorized access to systems protected by Keycloak, completely bypassing the security policies your IT team set up in Active Directory.

Who Is At Risk?

- Any Keycloak deployment that links to Active Directory via LDAP (especially with self-service reset enabled or admins resetting passwords).
- Organizations relying on AD account status (enabled/disabled/expired) to restrict access to sensitive applications.

Privilege Escalation: Potentially regain access after HR or IT off-boarding.

- Applicable to: Any system or app relying solely on Keycloak/AD integration for access control.

Official Fix

- Keep an eye on Keycloak’s Security Advisories and GitHub Issue Tracker for the official patch.

As of this writing, see discussion and patch progress here:

- Keycloak GHSA-xxxx *(search for CVE-2025-0604)*

Workarounds

- Disable self-service password reset for LDAP/AD users in Keycloak settings.

References

- Keycloak Security Advisory Portal
- Keycloak LDAP User Federation Docs
- Common LDAP Bypass Issues
- CVE record: CVE-2025-0604 at CVE.org (when published)

Final Thoughts

CVE-2025-0604 is a serious, but subtle flaw: it undermines the basic assumption that a disabled or expired AD account can’t be used for access. If you use Keycloak-as-a-front-door for your applications, it’s *essential* to update or mitigate right away. Audit your deployed versions, patch promptly when a fix is available, and review password reset and account recovery flows for similar “blind spots.”

For more updates, keep an eye on Keycloak’s official channels and apply good identity hygiene—never just trust, always verify!


*(Content exclusive to this post. Please attribute if sharing.)*

Timeline

Published on: 01/22/2025 15:15:14 UTC
Last modified on: 03/10/2025 18:15:30 UTC