CVE-2016-9814
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe validateSignature method in the SAML2\Utils class in SimpleSAMLphp before 1.14.10 and simplesamlphp/saml2 library before 1.9.1, 1.10.x before 1.10.3, and 2.x before 2.3.3 allows remote attackers to spoof SAML responses or possibly cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by leveraging improper conversion of return values to boolean.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe validateSignature method in SimpleSAMLphp's SAML2\Utils class improperly converts return values to boolean, allowing attackers to bypass signature validation and spoof SAML responses, or cause memory exhaustion via consumption attacks.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 1.14.9= 1.10<= 1.9= 1.10= 1.10.1= 1.10.2= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.1= 2.2= 2.3= 2.3.1= 2.3.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed SimpleSAMLphp package versionRun 'composer show simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp' or check your composer.lock file for the installed versionAffected if Version is 1.14.9 or earlier, or exactly 1.10.0
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Check installed SAML2 library versionRun 'composer show simplesamlphp/saml2' or check your composer.lock file for the installed versionAffected if Version is 1.9.0 or earlier, or any of: 1.10.0, 1.10.1, 1.10.2, 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.3.1, 2.3.2
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Locate the SAML2 Utils class validateSignature methodFind the file vendor/simplesamlphp/saml2/src/SAML2/Utils.php and inspect the validateSignature method for improper boolean type conversion patternsAffected if The method contains loose type casting to boolean without proper validation logic
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Check SAML authentication source configuration for signature validationExamine your SAML authentication source configuration in config/authsources.php and verify that 'strict' validation and signature verification are enabledAffected if Signature validation is disabled or set to loose validation mode
You are affected if you run any vulnerable version of simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp (<=1.14.9, =1.10) or simplesamlphp/saml2 (versions listed above) and your SAML configuration relies on signature validation for security.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade SimpleSAMLphp to version 1.14.10 or later, or update the simplesamlphp/saml2 library to version 1.9.1, 1.10.3, 2.3.3 or later. Audit all SAML service provider configurations for proper signature validation.
SimpleSAMLphp 1.14.10+ or simplesamlphp/saml2 1.9.1+/1.10.3+/2.3.3+
- Identify which component is in use: SimpleSAMLphp core or the simplesamlphp/saml2 library
- If using SimpleSAMLphp core, upgrade to version 1.14.10 or later
- If using simplesamlphp/saml2 library, upgrade to version 1.9.1 or later, or 1.10.3 or later, or 2.3.3 or later depending on your major version branch
- After upgrading, verify SAML signature validation still works correctly by testing a SAML authentication flow
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9814 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-9814 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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