Keycloak Fixes Critical CVE-2026-18963 Password Reset Flaw Allowing Unauthenticated Account Takeover
Keycloak has corrected a critical vulnerability, CVE-2026-18963, that allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to force a password reset for any user and take over the account. The priority is to update to the fixed versions or, if that is not possible, disable the Forgot password feature in all realms.
Keycloak, one of the most widely deployed products in corporate environments for identity and access management (IAM), has closed a critical vulnerability that opens the door to account takeover without authentication. The flaw, registered as CVE-2026-18963 and carrying a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.1, affects the reset-credentials flow and permits a remote attacker to complete a user password change without the usual email verification step.
The weakness stems from incorrect state validation inside the authentication flow. In practical terms, the system may accept a sequence of steps that should remain blocked until the user confirms the link sent by email. The result is a bypass: the attacker skips the verification phase and reaches the password change screen or endpoint directly, with the ability to set a new password and later access the account as the legitimate owner.
The most sensitive scenario occurs when the attacker targets administrative accounts. With that control, the attacker can modify policies, create users, assign roles, or alter configurations that affect applications integrated with Keycloak. The CVSS metric accurately reflects the risk: network attack vector, low complexity, no prior privileges, and no user interaction required. The impact focuses on confidentiality and integrity, while availability is not directly affected.
Upstream patches have been released in Keycloak 26.7.2 dated 19 August 2026. For Red Hat Build of Keycloak (RHBK), fixes are provided through updates in the 26.4 and 26.6 branches, specifically versions 26.4.15 and 26.6.6. As of 24 August 2026, Red Hat reports no known exploitation in the wild and no verified public exploit.
For organizations unable to apply updates immediately, the clearest mitigation is to disable the Forgot password recovery option. This setting must be applied realm by realm, so administrators should verify that the feature is disabled in every realm, especially in environments with multiple realms for subsidiaries, customers, or internal applications.
After applying the patch or mitigation, auditing remains essential. Reviewing login events and credential change logs for privileged accounts helps detect anomalous password resets and limits the scope if an attacker attempted to exploit the exposure window. In IAM systems, such a flaw can affect the entire connected ecosystem.
Related articles
Palo Alto Networks Discloses Seven PAN-OS Vulnerabilities Including One Already Exploited in the Wild
Palo Alto Networks has published seven security advisories addressing vulnerabilities in its PAN-OS operating system used on PA-series and VM-series firewalls as well as the Panorama management platform. One flaw tracked as CVE-2026-0322 allows authenticated remote code execution with root privileges through the management interface and has already been observed in limited exploitation attempts. The company rated the issue with a CVSS v4.0 base score of 8.6 and assigned it the highest remediation priority. Four additional medium-severity issues and two low-severity issues were also fixed in the same set of advisories. Products such as Cloud NGFW and Prisma Access are confirmed to be unaffected. Palo Alto Networks urges immediate patching for all impacted PAN-OS deployments.
Critical Vulnerability CVE-2026-76519 in Cisco Secure Email Gateway Allows Arbitrary File Writes Without Authentication
Cisco Systems has disclosed a critical vulnerability in its Cisco Secure Email Gateway product that affects the Advanced Malware Protection feature responsible for processing email attachments. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-76519, permits unauthenticated attackers to write arbitrary files to the underlying operating system by sending a specially crafted email attachment. Successful exploitation can lead to remote command execution with root privileges. The vulnerability received a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 and is rated Critical. Cisco confirmed active exploitation of the issue in October 2026, shortly after publishing the security advisory on October 14, 2026. This marks the second publicly disclosed exploited vulnerability in the product within a short period, though the flaws are unrelated.
Cyberattack Exploits Exposed Danfoss Refrigeration Controllers Across French Supermarkets
A remote cyberattack targeted Danfoss AK-SM 8xxA Series controllers in French supermarkets, allowing attackers to manipulate refrigeration parameters and trigger defrost cycles that raised temperatures and spoiled food stock. The incident impacted an estimated 250 to 350 stores belonging to major chains including Intermarché, Carrefour Market, Leclerc, and others. Paris prosecutors have opened a large-scale investigation into the attack and associated damages, including potential fires. The root cause traces to outdated software on internet-exposed OT management interfaces, with multiple CVEs enabling authentication bypass and remote code execution. Thousands of similar Danfoss systems remain publicly accessible worldwide, highlighting persistent OT exposure risks. Immediate remediation steps include closing web consoles, enforcing VPN access, and applying updates to versions 4.2 and 4.3.1 or later.
Three Zero-Days Chained in Ivanti Connect Secure Grant Root Access Without Login
An attacker chained three zero-day vulnerabilities in Ivanti Connect Secure to execute commands as root without authentication. The compromised appliance was running the fully patched version 22.8R2.4 when exploitation began on October 3. Volexity discovered the intrusion, attributed the activity to UTA0576 with low confidence in criminal rather than espionage motives, and reported the flaws to the vendor. Ivanti acknowledged limited in-the-wild exploitation on October 13. The first two issues, an authentication bypass and remote code execution, were combined under CVE-2026-104935 with a CVSS score of 8.6, allowing code execution as the cgi-server user. A third privilege-escalation flaw then elevated access to root. The final flaw lacked a patch at disclosure time, with a fix promised in an upcoming release. CISA classified the exploitation as active with total technical impact.