Improper signature verification in TIMLEGGE XML::Sig
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-347.
Summary
XML::Sig versions from 0.29 before 0.72 for Perl allow signature verification bypass because verify returns true when every signature was skipped before any cryptographic check. verify in lib/XML/Sig.pm counts the `//dsig:Signature` elements into `$numsigs` and iterates over them, but two paths reach `next` before any digest or key check runs: a `SignedInfo/Reference/@URI` that resolves to no element while `$numsigs` is greater than 1, and, when `id_attr` is set, a reference that does not match the requested ID. The loop records nothing about what it checked, so when every signature takes one of those paths control reaches the unconditional `return 1` that ends verify. Two `Signature` elements whose Reference URI names an ID that no element carries is enough, as is one such element combined with `id_attr`. Any caller that passes untrusted XML to verify can receive a true return for a document in which no digest and no signature value was checked; a `cert` or `cert_text` trust anchor does not change this, because no key check runs. Versions up to 0.28 use an XML::XPath based verify that has no such skip and are not affected.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA XML::Sig (TIMLEGGE) Fixed in 0.72
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-18568
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-r3hj-rg3j-262c
References
More TIMLEGGE vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-23735 Integer overflow in TIMLEGGE Crypt::NaCl::Sodium CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2020-18981 IO::Compress::Brotli versions prior to 0.007 for Perl have an integer overflow in the bundled Brotli C library CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-14905 Improper signature verification in TIMLEGGE Net::SAML2 CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-08239 XML::Sig versions before 0.71 for Perl allow XPath injection in ID lookup CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-10497 Crypt::DSA versions before 1.21 for Perl reused the nonce across signatures, leading to… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-08334 Improper signature verification in TIMLEGGE XML::Sig CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-18568 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-18568 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-r3hj-rg3j-262c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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