Log injection in SimpleSAMLphp
Background
SimpleSAMLphp has a logging functionality that allows system administrators to keep track of the activity, errors, and statistics. Additionally, it allows users to report errors, shall they happen. An error report contains a report identifier, which is logged once submitted.
Description
The www/erroreport.php script, which receives error reports and sends them via email to the system administrator, didn't properly sanitize the report identifier obtained from the request. This allows an attacker, under specific circumstances, to inject new log lines by manually crafting this report ID.
When configured to use the file logging handler, SimpleSAMLphp will output all its logs by appending each log line to a given file. Since the reportID parameter received in a request sent to www/errorreport.php was not properly sanitized, it was possible to inject newline characters into it, effectively allowing a malicious user to inject new log lines with arbitrary content.
Affected versions
SimpleSAMLphp versions up to 1.18.3.
Impact
An attacker may use this issue to inject logs messages into a SimpleSAMLphp log file, trying to trick or confuse system administrators. However, the attack surface is considered small, as the attack will only work with the file logging handler, which opens the log file in append-only mode. This means an attacker cannot edit or remove existing log messages, and even if non-ascii characters are written to the log, the file will always be readable with a simple text editor.
Resolution
Upgrade the SimpleSAMLphp installation to version 1.18.4.
Credit
This vulnerability was discovered and reported by Frederic Vleminckx on January 23, 2020.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composer package | simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp | < 1.18.4 | 1.18.4 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-532- Platform
- Composer
- Package
simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp- Disclosed
- 24.01.2020
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-6gc6-m364-85ww - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: simplesamlphp/simplesamlphp
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Composer package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 23
- First → latest
- 01.2020 07.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 3
- High 4
- Medium 12
- Low 4
Disclosures per year
- 2020: 6
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 12
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 4
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 1
-
Log injection in SimpleSAMLphp this entry
Know which vulnerabilities affect your application
With the DockRay integration and software inventory enabled, DockRay checks reported component versions against known vulnerabilities and notifies you about confirmed matches. Coverage depends on the supported technology and available advisory data.