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Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2021-21238

🗓️ 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 1 Views

Unpatched PySAML2 allows signature wrapping; patch released in PySAML2 6.5.0.

Related
Refs
Code
ReporterTitlePublishedViews
Family
AlpineLinux
CVE-2021-21238
21 Jan 202114:15
alpinelinux
Circl
CVE-2021-21238
21 Jan 202118:28
circl
CNNVD
Idpy Pysaml2 Data Forgery Issue Vulnerability
21 Jan 202100:00
cnnvd
CVE
CVE-2021-21238
21 Jan 202114:15
cve
Cvelist
CVE-2021-21238 SAML XML Signature wrapping
21 Jan 202114:15
cvelist
Debian CVE
CVE-2021-21238
21 Jan 202114:15
debiancve
EUVD
EUVD-2021-0210
7 Oct 202500:30
euvd
FreeBSD
pysaml2 -- multiple vulnerabilities
20 Jan 202100:00
freebsd
Tenable Nessus
FreeBSD : pysaml2 -- multiple vulnerabilities (fb67567a-5d95-11eb-a955-08002728f74c)
27 Jan 202100:00
nessus
Github Security Blog
SAML XML Signature wrapping in PySAML2
21 Jan 202114:12
github
Rows per page
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(256726);
  script_version("1.1");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2025/08/27");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2021-21238");

  script_name(english:"Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2021-21238");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed with a vulnerability that the vendor indicates will not be
patched.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied
patch available.

  - PySAML2 is a pure python implementation of SAML Version 2 Standard. PySAML2 before 6.5.0 has an improper
    verification of cryptographic signature vulnerability. All users of pysaml2 that need to validate signed
    SAML documents are impacted. The vulnerability is a variant of XML Signature wrapping because it did not
    validate the SAML document against an XML schema. This allowed invalid XML documents to be processed and
    such a document can trick pysaml2 with a wrapped signature. This is fixed in PySAML2 6.5.0.
    (CVE-2021-21238)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-21238");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"There is no known solution at this time.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"agent", value:"unix");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2021-21238");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vendor_unpatched", value:"true");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2021/01/21");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2025/08/27");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:22.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:python-pysaml2");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Misc.");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2025 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info2.nasl", "set_linux_os_id.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/cpu", "Host/local_checks_enabled", "global_settings/vendor_unpatched", "Host/OS/identifier");
  script_require_ports("Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-16.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-18.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-20.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-22.04");

  exit(0);
}

if (!get_kb_item("global_settings/vendor_unpatched")) exit(0, "Unpatched Vulnerabilities Detection not active.");
if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);
if (empty_or_null(get_one_kb_item("Host/Debian/dpkg-l"))) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

include('linux_unpatched.inc');

var distro_constraints_array = {
  "Ubuntu Linux-18.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "18.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "python-pysaml2"},
          {"reference": "python-pysaml2-doc"},
          {"reference": "python3-pysaml2"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-16.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "16.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "python-pysaml2"},
          {"reference": "python-pysaml2-doc"},
          {"reference": "python3-pysaml2"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-20.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "20.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "python-pysaml2-doc"},
          {"reference": "python3-pysaml2"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-22.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "22.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "python-pysaml2-doc"},
          {"reference": "python3-pysaml2"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
};

var distro_constraints_values = linux_unpatched::get_distro_constraints(distro_constraints_arr:distro_constraints_array);
if (empty_or_null(distro_constraints_values)) audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
var report = linux_unpatched::check_unpatched_constraints(distro_constraints_values:distro_constraints_values);

if (!empty_or_null(report))
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_WARNING,
      extra      : report
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
}

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27 Aug 2025 00:00Current
6.9Medium risk
Vulners AI Score6.9
CVSS 24.3
CVSS 3.16.5
EPSS0.0014
1