CVE-2018-6521: Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp SimpleSAMLphp Use Of Insecure Connection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qv5p-6wrc-79wg
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CVSS 9.8
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-6521 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) simplesamlphp use of insecure connection vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves simplesamlphp use of insecure connection charset (sqlauth module). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.15.2.

CVE-2018-6521 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-6521
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qv5p-6wrc-79wg
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-6521

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp fixed: 1.15.2 
Upgrade simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp to 1.15.2
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2018-6521, inspect your project dependencies for Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp:

inspect dependencies for simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.15.2), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The sqlauth module in SimpleSAMLphp before 1.15.2 relies on the MySQL utf8 charset, which truncates queries upon encountering four-byte characters. There might be a scenario in which this allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.

CVE-2018-6521 Affected Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.15.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp
 Packagist
< 1.15.2
1.15.2

References

NVD — CVE-2018-6521 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-6521
Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp/CVE-2018-6521.yaml
Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/02/msg00008.html
Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp Security Information SECURITY
https://simplesamlphp.org/security/201801-03
Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4127

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-6521?
CVE-2018-6521 is a security vulnerability in Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp involving SimpleSAMLphp Use of insecure connection charset (sqlauth module) under General Security Weakness.
Which Simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.15.2 across affected packages: simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp.
What version fixes CVE-2018-6521?
Upgrading to 1.15.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp affected?
Yes, simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp is affected in releases prior to 1.15.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.15.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-6521?
CVE-2018-6521 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-6521?
CVE-2018-6521 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2018-6521?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-qv5p-6wrc-79wg",
  "modified" : "2024-04-25T21:37:22Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:53:07Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-6521" ],
  "summary" : "SimpleSAMLphp Use of insecure connection charset (sqlauth module)",
  "details" : "The sqlauth module in SimpleSAMLphp before 1.15.2 relies on the MySQL utf8 charset, which truncates queries upon encountering four-byte characters. There might be a scenario in which this allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.15.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-6521"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp/CVE-2018-6521.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/02/msg00008.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://simplesamlphp.org/security/201801-03"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4127"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-25T21:37:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-02-02T01:29:00Z"
  }
}