A Missing Authorization flaw (CWE-862) was identified in the JWT Bearer authorization grant (urn:ietf:params:oauth:grant-type:jwt-bearer) in Keycloak. The vulnerability exists in the JWTAuthorizationGrantType.process function, which fails to verify the client.isConsentRequired flag or check for a stored UserConsentModel before issuing an access token.
While other user-facing grants like Resource Owner Password Credentials (ROPC) explicitly refuse consent-required clients, and interactive grants verify stored consent, the JWT Bearer grant bypasses these checks entirely. To exploit this flaw, an attacker must have access to a confidential client credentials and a valid JWT assertion for a target user signed by an allow-listed Identity Provider (IdP).
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to:
Obtain a valid access token for a target user without their consent.

Access protected resources and APIs on behalf of the user.

Bypass administrative security policies intended to gate client access behind explicit user approval.