Summary
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
Impact
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-2022-39300 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 (4.0.0-beta.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
Users should upgrade to node-saml v4.0.0-beta5 or newer.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-39300? CVE-2022-39300 is a high-severity security vulnerability in node-saml (npm), affecting versions < 4.0.0-beta.5. It is fixed in 4.0.0-beta.5.
- How severe is CVE-2022-39300? CVE-2022-39300 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.
- Which versions of node-saml are affected by CVE-2022-39300? node-saml (npm) versions < 4.0.0-beta.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-39300? Yes. CVE-2022-39300 is fixed in 4.0.0-beta.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-39300 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-39300 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-39300 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-39300? Upgrade
node-samlto 4.0.0-beta.5 or later.