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CVE-2025-54572 — Vulnerability in ruby-saml — CVE Details

MEDIUM

Ruby SAML DOS vulnerability with large SAML response

Published July 30, 2025Updated September 10, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### 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 ```

Advisory Timeline

  • First published July 30, 2025 (439 days ago).
  • Last revised September 10, 2026 — 407 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Bundler
Update ruby-saml to 1.18.1 or later
gem install ruby-saml -v 1.18.1

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

Affects 1 ecosystem: rubygems (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
ruby-saml
rubygems
0.0.5, 0.0.6, 0.0.7, 0.0.8 (+84 more)1.18.1

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-400
    Uncontrolled Resource ConsumptionMITRE
  • CWE-770
    Allocation of Resources Without LimitsMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 5.3 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
—
Confidentiality
—
Integrity
—
Availability
—

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-54572?
Ruby SAML DOS vulnerability with large SAML response This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of MEDIUM (CVSS score: 5.3/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2025-54572?
CVE-2025-54572 affects ruby-saml. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2025-54572 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
5.3

Exploitation requires specific conditions or has limited impact. Remediate within weeks.

Also Known As

GHSA-rrqh-93c8-j966

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