CVE-2026-97846 AKAOMA CVE VULNERABILITIES / 20h Keycloak provides a feature called mTLS holder-of-key binding which ensures that a token can only be used by the client that originally requested it by binding it to their digital certificate. A flaw was discovered where the new Standard Token Exchange V2 feature does not check for this certificate. This allows an attacker with stolen client credentials to obtain a standard, unrestricted token that bypasses these security protections.

6.8 /10 High Risk If left unpatched, CVE-2026-97846 could lead to major system disruptions or data loss.

If left unpatched, CVE-2026-97846 could lead to major system disruptions or data loss.

Attack Complexity Details

Attack Complexity: High Exploits require significant effort and special conditions.

Attack Vector: Network Vulnerability is exploitable over a network without physical access.

Privileges Required: Low Some privileges are necessary to exploit the vulnerability.

Scope: Unchanged Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.

User Interaction: None No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2026-97846 Details

Status: Awaiting Analysis Published on: 25 Sep 2026, 07:16 UTC CVSS Release: version 3 CVSS3 Source [email protected] CVSS3 Type Secondary CVSS3 Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Status: Awaiting Analysis Published on: 25 Sep 2026, 07:16 UTC

Published on: 25 Sep 2026, 07:16 UTC

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

CVE-2026-97846 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2026-97846: Keycloak provides a feature called mTLS holder-of-key binding which ensures that a token can only be used by the client that originally requested it by binding it to their digital certificate. A flaw was discovered where the new Standard Token Exchange V2 feature does not check for this certificate. This allows an attacker with stolen client credentials to obtain a standard, unrestricted token that bypasses these security protections.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2026-97846

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2026-97846 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2026-97846

This vulnerability, CVE-2026-97846, requires a high level of attack complexity and low privileges, making it difficult but not impossible to exploit. Organizations should ensure robust security configurations to mitigate risks.

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-97846, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-97846, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

Confidentiality: High Exploiting CVE-2026-97846 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.

Integrity: High CVE-2026-97846 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.

Availability: None CVE-2026-97846 does not impact system availability.

CVE-2026-97846 References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

Authentication Abuse CAPEC-114 An attacker obtains unauthorized access to an application, service or device either through knowledge of the inherent weaknesses of an authentication mechanism, or by exploiting a flaw in the authentication scheme's implementation. In such an attack an authentication mechanism is functioning but a carefully controlled sequence of events causes the mechanism to grant access to the attacker.

Authentication Bypass CAPEC-115 An attacker gains access to application, service, or device with the privileges of an authorized or privileged user by evading or circumventing an authentication mechanism. The attacker is therefore able to access protected data without authentication ever having taken place.

Identity Spoofing CAPEC-151 Identity Spoofing refers to the action of assuming (i.e., taking on) the identity of some other entity (human or non-human) and then using that identity to accomplish a goal. An adversary may craft messages that appear to come from a different principle or use stolen / spoofed authentication credentials.

Fake the Source of Data CAPEC-194 An adversary takes advantage of improper authentication to provide data or services under a falsified identity. The purpose of using the falsified identity may be to prevent traceability of the provided data or to assume the rights granted to another individual. One of the simplest forms of this attack would be the creation of an email message with a modified "From" field in order to appear that the message was sent from someone other than the actual sender. The root of the attack (in this case the email system) fails to properly authenticate the source and this results in the reader incorrectly performing the instructed action. Results of the attack vary depending on the details of the attack, but common results include privilege escalation, obfuscation of other attacks, and data corruption/manipulation.

Exploiting Trust in Client CAPEC-22 An attack of this type exploits vulnerabilities in client/server communication channel authentication and data integrity. It leverages the implicit trust a server places in the client, or more importantly, that which the server believes is the client. An attacker executes this type of attack by communicating directly with the server where the server believes it is communicating only with a valid client. There are numerous variations of this type of attack.

Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data CAPEC-57 This attack utilizes a REST(REpresentational State Transfer)-style applications' trust in the system resources and environment to obtain sensitive data once SSL is terminated.

Session Hijacking CAPEC-593 This type of attack involves an adversary that exploits weaknesses in an application's use of sessions in performing authentication. The adversary is able to steal or manipulate an active session and use it to gain unathorized access to the application.

Token Impersonation CAPEC-633 An adversary exploits a weakness in authentication to create an access token (or equivalent) that impersonates a different entity, and then associates a process/thread to that that impersonated token. This action causes a downstream user to make a decision or take action that is based on the assumed identity, and not the response that blocks the adversary.

Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server CAPEC-650 By exploiting insufficient permissions, it is possible to upload a web shell to a web server in such a way that it can be executed remotely. This shell can have various capabilities, thereby acting as a "gateway" to the underlying web server. The shell might execute at the higher permission level of the web server, providing the ability the execute malicious code at elevated levels.

Adversary in the Middle (AiTM) CAPEC-94 An adversary targets the communication between two components (typically client and server), in order to alter or obtain data from transactions. A general approach entails the adversary placing themself within the communication channel between the two components.

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