GHSA-rrqh-93c8-j966
Dashboard / Vulnerabilities / GHSA-rrqh-93c8-j966
Summary: Ruby SAML DOS vulnerability with large SAML response
Details: ### Summary A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in ruby-saml even with the message_max_bytesize setting configured. The vulnerability occurs because the SAML response is validated for Base64 format prior to checking the message size, leading to potential resource exhaustion. ### Details `ruby-saml` includes a `message_max_bytesize` setting intended to prevent DOS attacks and decompression bombs. However, this protection is ineffective in some cases due to the order of operations in the code: https://github.com/SAML-Toolkits/ruby-saml/blob/fbbedc978300deb9355a8e505849666974ef2e67/lib/onelogin/ruby-saml/saml_message.rb ```ruby def decode_raw_saml(saml, settings = nil) return saml unless base64_encoded?(saml) # <--- Issue here. Should be moved after next code block. settings = OneLogin::RubySaml::Settings.new if settings.nil? if saml.bytesize > settings.message_max_bytesize raise ValidationError.new("Encoded SAML Message exceeds " + settings.message_max_bytesize.to_s + " bytes, so was rejected") end decoded = decode(saml) ... end ``` The vulnerability is in the execution order. Prior to checking bytesize the `base64_encoded?` function performs regex matching on the entire input string: ```ruby !!string.gsub(/[\r\n]|\\r|\\n|\s/, "").match(BASE64_FORMAT) ``` ### Impact _What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?_ When successfully exploited, this vulnerability can lead to: - Excessive memory consumption - High CPU utilization - Application slowdown or unresponsiveness - Complete application crash in severe cases - Potential denial of service for legitimate users All applications using `ruby-saml` with SAML configured and enabled are vulnerable. ### Potential Solution Reorder the validation steps to ensure max bytesize is checked first ```ruby def decode_raw_saml(saml, settings = nil) settings = OneLogin::RubySaml::Settings.new if settings.nil? if saml.bytesize > settings.message_max_bytesize raise ValidationError.new("Encoded SAML Message exceeds " + settings.message_max_bytesize.to_s + " bytes, so was rejected") end return saml unless base64_encoded?(saml) decoded = decode(saml) ... end ```
References: https://github.com/SAML-Toolkits/ruby-saml/security/advisories/GHSA-rrqh-93c8-j966, https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54572, https://github.com/SAML-Toolkits/ruby-saml/pull/770, https://github.com/SAML-Toolkits/ruby-saml/commit/38ef5dd1ce17514e202431f569c4f5633e6c2709, https://github.com/SAML-Toolkits/ruby-saml, https://github.com/SAML-Toolkits/ruby-saml/releases/tag/v1.18.1, https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/ruby-saml/CVE-2025-54572.yml, https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/09/msg00001.html
Affected packages
Package
Name: ruby-saml
Purl: pkg:gem/ruby-saml
Affected ranges
Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events:
