CVE-2022-39299

Workarounds

Disable SAML authentication.

References

Are there any links users can visit to find out more?

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Open a discussion in the node-saml repo

Credits

• Felix Wilhelm of Google Project Zero

A remote attacker may be able to bypass SAML authentication on a website using passport-saml. A successful attack requires that the attacker is in possession of an arbitrary IDP signed XML element. Depending on the IDP used, fully unauthenticated attacks (e.g without access to a valid user) might also be feasible if generation of a signed message can be triggered.

CVE-2022-39299 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.2.2, 4.0.0-beta.5, 4.0.0-beta.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Users should upgrade to passport-saml 3.2.2 or newer. The issue was also present in the beta releases of node-saml before v4.0.0-beta.5.

1. What is CVE-2022-39299? CVE-2022-39299 is a high-severity security vulnerability in passport-saml (npm), affecting versions < 3.2.2. It is fixed in 3.2.2, 4.0.0-beta.5, 4.0.0-beta.3.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-39299? CVE-2022-39299 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-39299?
   • passport-saml (npm) (versions < 3.2.2)
   • node-saml (npm) (versions < 4.0.0-beta.5)
   • @node-saml/node-saml (npm) (versions < 4.0.0-beta.5)
   • @node-saml/passport-saml (npm) (versions < 4.0.0-beta.3)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-39299? Yes. CVE-2022-39299 is fixed in 3.2.2, 4.0.0-beta.5, 4.0.0-beta.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-39299 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-39299 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-39299 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-39299?
   • Upgrade passport-saml to 3.2.2 or later
   • Upgrade node-saml to 4.0.0-beta.5 or later
   • Upgrade @node-saml/node-saml to 4.0.0-beta.5 or later
   • Upgrade @node-saml/passport-saml to 4.0.0-beta.3 or later