CVE-2023-40178 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.3) CWE-347 vulnerability in @node-saml/node-saml. A fix is available for @node-saml/node-saml — see the affected versions and patch details below.
@node-saml/node-saml's validatePostRequestAsync does not include checkTimestampsValidityError
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-40178.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-40178 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
@node-saml/node-samlnpmDescription
Summary
The lack of checking of current timestamp allows a LogoutRequest XML to be reused multiple times even when the current time is past the NotOnOrAfter.
Details
It was noticed that in the validatePostRequestAsync() flow in saml.js, the current timestamp is never checked. This could present a vulnerability where a user who has an XML LogoutRequest could validated it if the IssueInstance and the NotOnOrAfter are valid along with valid credentials (signature, certificate etc.).
PoC
I was able to validate a sample valid LogoutRequest XML multiple times through postman by sending it to my endpoint regardless if the current present time was past the NotOnOrAfter time. After some further testing, it seems that only the IssueInstance is checked against NotOnOrAfter. Not sure if this was the intended behaviour but I believe having a never expiring valid LogoutRequest could be dangerous.
Impact
This could impact the user where they would be logged out from an expired LogoutRequest. In bigger contexts, if LogoutRequests are sent out in mass to different SPs, this could impact many users on a large scale.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @node-saml/node-saml | all versions | 4.0.5npm install @node-saml/node-saml@4.0.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @node-saml/node-saml, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update @node-saml/node-saml to 4.0.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-40178 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-40178 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-40178. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-40178 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-40178 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.