CVE-2025-11538 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.8) CWE-1327 vulnerability in org.keycloak:keycloak-quarkus-dist. A fix is available for org.keycloak:keycloak-quarkus-dist — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Keycloak-server: debug default bind address
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2025-11538.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
org.keycloak:keycloak-quarkus-distReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A vulnerability exists in Keycloak's server distribution where enabling debug mode (--debug) insecurely defaults to binding the Java Debug Wire Protocol (JDWP) port to all network interfaces (0.0.0.0). This exposes the debug port to the local network, allowing an attacker on the same network segment to attach a remote debugger and achieve remote code execution within the Keycloak Java virtual machine.
Red Hat evaluates this as a Moderate impact vulnerability due to the requirement of running debug mode and untrusted network. Also, for Red Hat Single Sign-On, this must as well be bound to 0.0.0.0 address, which is not recommended in production scenarios.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.keycloak:keycloak-quarkus-dist | all versions | 26.4.4org.keycloak:keycloak-quarkus-dist:26.4.4 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.keycloak:keycloak-quarkus-dist, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.keycloak:keycloak-quarkus-dist to 26.4.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-11538 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
Red Hat evaluates this as a Moderate impact vulnerability due to the requirement of running debug mode and untrusted network. Also, for Red Hat Single Sign-On, this must as well be bound to 0.0.0.0 address, which is not recommended in production scenarios.
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2025-11538 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4 | rhbk/keycloak-operator-bundle:26.4.4-1 | RHSA-2025:21371 |
| Red Hat build of Keycloak 26.4.4 | rhbk/keycloak-rhel9 | RHSA-2025:21370 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2025-11538 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.