CVE-2026-11577: Keycloak: keycloak: privilege escalation via partialimport fgap permission bypass
Privilege escalation in Keycloak via POST /admin/realms/{realm}/partialImport. The endpoint bypasses Fine-Grained Admin Permissions (FGAP) -- it only checks requireManageRealm() but not per-resource-type permissions. A limited admin with only manage-realm can escalate to full realm admin by importing users with realm-admin role mappings. Verified on Keycloak 26.6.1.
Related: GitHub issue #9387 describes this as hardening, but it is an exploitable privilege escalation.
Other sources
Rejected reason: The reported behavior does not constitute a privilege escalation. Exploitation requires the attacker to already possess the manage-realm administrative role within the realm-management client. By design, the manage-realm role is intended to be equivalent in administrative authority to realm-admin. A user with manage-realm already has full administrative control over the realm. Therefore, importing users with realm-admin role mappings through POST /admin/realms/{realm}/partialImport does not grant any additional privileges beyond those already held by the administrator and does not represent a security vulnerability.
— NVD
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-11577?
The severity of CVE-2026-11577 is classified as high with a score of 7.2.
How do I fix CVE-2026-11577?
To fix CVE-2026-11577, apply the latest patches and updates provided by Keycloak to address the improper access control.
What kind of attack does CVE-2026-11577 enable?
CVE-2026-11577 enables privilege escalation, allowing a limited administrator to gain full realm administrator rights.
Which Keycloak endpoint is affected by CVE-2026-11577?
CVE-2026-11577 affects the POST /admin/realms/{realm}/partialImport endpoint.
Who is at risk from CVE-2026-11577?
Limited administrators using Keycloak are at risk, as they can exploit this vulnerability to escalate their privileges.