CVE-2026-117688: Keycloak-services: keycloak-services: vault secret disclosure via client registration installation configuration
A flaw was found in the client registration component of Keycloak, an open-source identity and access management solution. When a vault provider is used to store sensitive information, an authenticated client owner can use a specially crafted reference to trick the system into revealing secrets. By updating a client secret to point to a vault entry and then requesting the client configuration, the owner can see the secret value in plain text. This could lead to the exposure of sensitive credentials that the user should not be able to access.
Other sources
A sensitive information disclosure flaw was found in the org.keycloak.services.clientregistration component of Keycloak. The issue arises when Keycloak is configured with an active Vault provider and Dynamic Client Registration endpoints are enabled. An authenticated attacker holding a valid Registration Access Token (RAT) for a confidential client can update the client secret to a Vault reference expression, such as vault.alias. When the attacker subsequently requests the client installation configuration through the registration endpoint, Keycloak improperly resolves the Vault expression and returns the managed secret in plaintext. An attacker with knowledge of existing Vault secret aliases in the realm can exploit this to read arbitrary Vault values without possessing administrative privileges.
— Red Hat
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which deployments are exposed to this issue?
Exposure requires Keycloak to have an active Vault provider and Dynamic Client Registration endpoints enabled. The affected target is a confidential client whose Registration Access Token is available to the attacker.
What access does an attacker need?
The attacker must be authenticated and possess a valid Registration Access Token for a confidential client. They use that token to update the client's secret to a Vault reference and then retrieve the client installation configuration.
What information can be disclosed?
The installation configuration response can resolve the supplied Vault expression and return the referenced vault-managed secret in plaintext. This can expose sensitive credentials stored in the Vault provider.