CVE-2021-39171: Passport saml Unlimited Transforms Allowed For Signed Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5379-r78w-42h2
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-39171 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) unlimited transforms allowed for signed vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Passport saml libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves unlimited transforms allowed for signed nodes. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.0.

CVE-2021-39171 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-39171
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5379-r78w-42h2
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Passport saml
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2021-39171

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

passport-saml fixed: 3.1.0 
npm install passport-saml@3.1.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

npm ls passport-saml

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-39171, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls passport-saml

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Passport saml in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls passport-saml command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Passport saml, 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

### Impact A malicious SAML payload can require transforms that consume significant system resources to process, thereby resulting in reduced or denied service. This would be an effective way to perform a denial-of-service attack. ### Patches This has been resolved in version 3.1.0. The resolution is to limit the number of allowable transforms to 2. ### References https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/pull/595

CVE-2021-39171 Affected Passport saml Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
passport-saml
npm/passport-saml
npm
< 3.1.0
3.1.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/security/advisories/GHSA-5379-r78w-42h2
NVD — CVE-2021-39171 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-39171
Passport saml Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/pull/595
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/commit/f1e00b64c21a725f545e675cd810bbaa435a3972
Passport saml Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-39171?
CVE-2021-39171 is a security vulnerability in Passport saml involving Unlimited transforms allowed for signed nodes under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Passport saml versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.0 across affected packages: passport-saml.
What version fixes CVE-2021-39171?
Upgrading to 3.1.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is passport-saml affected?
Yes, passport-saml is affected in releases prior to 3.1.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-39171?
CVE-2021-39171 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-39171?
CVE-2021-39171 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2021-39171?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls passport-saml'. 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-5379-r78w-42h2",
  "modified" : "2024-02-10T00:55:45Z",
  "published" : "2021-08-30T16:11:57Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-39171" ],
  "summary" : "Unlimited transforms allowed for signed nodes",
  "details" : "### Impact\nA malicious SAML payload can require transforms that consume significant system resources to process, thereby resulting in reduced or denied service. This would be an effective way to perform a denial-of-service attack.\n\n### Patches\nThis has been resolved in version 3.1.0. The resolution is to limit the number of allowable transforms to 2.\n\n### References\nhttps://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/pull/595\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "passport-saml"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/security/advisories/GHSA-5379-r78w-42h2"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-39171"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/pull/595"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml/commit/f1e00b64c21a725f545e675cd810bbaa435a3972"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-saml/passport-saml"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-08-27T23:25:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-27T22:15:00Z"
  }
}