diff --git a/connector/saml/saml.go b/connector/saml/saml.go
index 8b55252a..a24df1c8 100644
--- a/connector/saml/saml.go
+++ b/connector/saml/saml.go
@@ -130,9 +130,7 @@ func (c *Config) Open(logger logrus.FieldLogger) (connector.Connector, error) {
 	return c.openConnector(logger)
 }
 
-func (c *Config) openConnector(logger logrus.FieldLogger) (interface {
-	connector.SAMLConnector
-}, error) {
+func (c *Config) openConnector(logger logrus.FieldLogger) (*provider, error) {
 	requiredFields := []struct {
 		name, val string
 	}{
@@ -274,8 +272,11 @@ func (p *provider) HandlePOST(s connector.Scopes, samlResponse, inResponseTo str
 	if err != nil {
 		return ident, fmt.Errorf("decode response: %v", err)
 	}
+
+	rootElementSigned := true
 	if p.validator != nil {
-		if rawResp, err = verify(p.validator, rawResp); err != nil {
+		rawResp, rootElementSigned, err = verifyResponseSig(p.validator, rawResp)
+		if err != nil {
 			return ident, fmt.Errorf("verify signature: %v", err)
 		}
 	}
@@ -285,24 +286,26 @@ func (p *provider) HandlePOST(s connector.Scopes, samlResponse, inResponseTo str
 		return ident, fmt.Errorf("unmarshal response: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	if p.issuer != "" && resp.Issuer != nil && resp.Issuer.Issuer != p.issuer {
-		return ident, fmt.Errorf("expected Issuer value %s, got %s", p.issuer, resp.Issuer.Issuer)
-	}
+	if rootElementSigned {
+		if p.issuer != "" && resp.Issuer != nil && resp.Issuer.Issuer != p.issuer {
+			return ident, fmt.Errorf("expected Issuer value %s, got %s", p.issuer, resp.Issuer.Issuer)
+		}
 
-	// Verify InResponseTo value matches the expected ID associated with
-	// the RelayState.
-	if resp.InResponseTo != inResponseTo {
-		return ident, fmt.Errorf("expected InResponseTo value %s, got %s", inResponseTo, resp.InResponseTo)
-	}
+		// Verify InResponseTo value matches the expected ID associated with
+		// the RelayState.
+		if resp.InResponseTo != inResponseTo {
+			return ident, fmt.Errorf("expected InResponseTo value %s, got %s", inResponseTo, resp.InResponseTo)
+		}
 
-	// Destination is optional.
-	if resp.Destination != "" && resp.Destination != p.redirectURI {
-		return ident, fmt.Errorf("expected destination %q got %q", p.redirectURI, resp.Destination)
+		// Destination is optional.
+		if resp.Destination != "" && resp.Destination != p.redirectURI {
+			return ident, fmt.Errorf("expected destination %q got %q", p.redirectURI, resp.Destination)
 
-	}
+		}
 
-	if err = p.validateStatus(&resp); err != nil {
-		return ident, err
+		if err = p.validateStatus(&resp); err != nil {
+			return ident, err
+		}
 	}
 
 	assertion := resp.Assertion
@@ -481,41 +484,57 @@ func (p *provider) validateConditions(assertion *assertion) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// verify checks the signature info of a XML document and returns
-// the signed elements.
-// The Validate function of the goxmldsig library only looks for
-// signatures on the root element level. But a saml Response is valid
-// if the complete message is signed, or only the Assertion is signed,
-// or but elements are signed. Therefore we first check a possible
-// signature of the Response than of the Assertion. If one of these
-// is successful the Response is considered as valid.
-func verify(validator *dsig.ValidationContext, data []byte) (signed []byte, err error) {
+// verifyResponseSig attempts to verify the signature of a SAML response or
+// the assertion.
+//
+// If the root element is properly signed, this method returns it.
+//
+// The SAML spec requires supporting responses where the root element is
+// unverified, but the sub <Assertion> elements are signed. In these cases,
+// this method returns rootVerified=false to indicate that the <Assertion>
+// elements should be trusted, but all other elements MUST be ignored.
+//
+// Note: we still don't support multiple <Assertion> tags. If there are
+// multiple present this code will only process the first.
+func verifyResponseSig(validator *dsig.ValidationContext, data []byte) (signed []byte, rootVerified bool, err error) {
 	doc := etree.NewDocument()
 	if err = doc.ReadFromBytes(data); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("parse document: %v", err)
+		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("parse document: %v", err)
 	}
-	verified := false
+
 	response := doc.Root()
 	transformedResponse, err := validator.Validate(response)
 	if err == nil {
-		verified = true
+		// Root element is verified, return it.
 		doc.SetRoot(transformedResponse)
+		signed, err = doc.WriteToBytes()
+		return signed, true, err
 	}
+
 	// Ensures xmlns are copied down to the assertion element when they are defined in the root
+	//
+	// TODO: Only select from child elements of the root.
 	assertion, err := etreeutils.NSSelectOne(response, "urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion", "Assertion")
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("response does not contain an Assertion element")
+		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("response does not contain an Assertion element")
 	}
 	transformedAssertion, err := validator.Validate(assertion)
-	if err == nil {
-		verified = true
-		response.RemoveChild(assertion)
-		response.AddChild(transformedAssertion)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("response does not contain a valid signature element: %v", err)
 	}
-	if verified != true {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("response does not contain a valid Signature element")
+
+	// Verified an assertion but not the response. Can't trust any child elements,
+	// except the assertion. Remove them all.
+	for _, el := range response.ChildElements() {
+		response.RemoveChild(el)
 	}
-	return doc.WriteToBytes()
+
+	// We still return the full <Response> element, even though it's unverified
+	// because the <Assertion> element is not a valid XML document on its own.
+	// It still requires the root element to define things like namespaces.
+	response.AddChild(transformedAssertion)
+	signed, err = doc.WriteToBytes()
+	return signed, false, err
 }
 
 func uuidv4() string {