diff --git a/docs/changelog/137598.yaml b/docs/changelog/137598.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..1c00356a109bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/changelog/137598.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+pr: 137598
+summary: In-response-to in saml error response
+area: Authentication
+type: enhancement
+issues:
+ - 128179
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlResponseHandler.java b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlResponseHandler.java
index 484af268afca0..e670d619eab1f 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlResponseHandler.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlResponseHandler.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import java.util.Collection;
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.security.authc.saml.SamlUtils.samlException;
+import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.security.authc.saml.SamlUtils.samlUnsolicitedInResponseToException;
 
 public class SamlResponseHandler extends SamlObjectHandler {
     public SamlResponseHandler(Clock clock, IdpConfiguration idp, SpConfiguration sp, TimeValue maxSkew) {
@@ -32,11 +33,7 @@ protected void checkInResponseTo(StatusResponseType response, Collection<String>
                     + "incorrectly populates the InResponseTo attribute",
                 response.getID()
             );
-            throw samlException(
-                "SAML content is in-response-to [{}] but expected one of {} ",
-                response.getInResponseTo(),
-                allowedSamlRequestIds
-            );
+            throw samlUnsolicitedInResponseToException(response.getInResponseTo(), allowedSamlRequestIds);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlUtils.java b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlUtils.java
index 37461b3261922..5a8e786cf96f7 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlUtils.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlUtils.java
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 import java.security.SecureRandom;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@
 public class SamlUtils {
 
     private static final String SAML_EXCEPTION_KEY = "es.security.saml";
+    private static final String SAML_UNSOLICITED_RESPONSE_KEY = "es.security.saml.unsolicited_in_response_to";
     private static final String SAML_MARSHALLING_ERROR_STRING = "_unserializable_";
 
     private static final AtomicBoolean INITIALISED = new AtomicBoolean(false);
@@ -115,6 +117,26 @@ public static ElasticsearchSecurityException samlException(String msg, Exception
         return exception;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Constructs exception for a specific case where the in-response-to value in the SAML content does not match any of the values
+     * provided by the client. One example situation when this can happen is when user spent too much time on the IdP site and the
+     * initial SAML request has expired. In that case the IdP would send a SAML response which content includes an in-response-to value
+     * matching the initial request, however that initial request is now gone, so the client sends an empty in-response-to parameter causing
+     * a mismatch between the two.
+     */
+    public static ElasticsearchSecurityException samlUnsolicitedInResponseToException(
+        String samlContentInResponseTo,
+        Collection<String> expectedInResponseTos
+    ) {
+        final ElasticsearchSecurityException exception = samlException(
+            "SAML content is in-response-to [{}] but expected one of {} ",
+            samlContentInResponseTo,
+            expectedInResponseTos
+        );
+        exception.addMetadata(SAML_UNSOLICITED_RESPONSE_KEY, samlContentInResponseTo);
+        return exception;
+    }
+
     /**
      * @see #samlException(String, Object...)
      */
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlAuthenticatorTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlAuthenticatorTests.java
index a46d79329751c..b139275d37034 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlAuthenticatorTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/saml/SamlAuthenticatorTests.java
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@
 import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.not;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.contains;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsInAnyOrder;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsInRelativeOrder;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsString;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.endsWith;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
@@ -1414,6 +1415,20 @@ public void testDescribeVeryLongIssuer() {
         assertThat(description, endsWith("..."));
     }
 
+    public void testUnsolicitedResponse() throws Exception {
+        final String xml = getSimpleResponseAsString(clock.instant());
+
+        // response with valid in-response-to, while allowedRequestIds is empty (i.e. unsolicited response)
+        final SamlToken token = token(signResponse(xml), Collections.emptyList());
+        ElasticsearchSecurityException exception = expectSamlException(() -> authenticator.authenticate(token));
+        assertThat(exception.getCause(), nullValue());
+        assertThat(exception.getMessage(), containsString("SAML content is in-response-to"));
+
+        final String EXPECTED_METADATA_KEY = "es.security.saml.unsolicited_in_response_to";
+        assertThat(exception.getMetadataKeys(), containsInRelativeOrder(EXPECTED_METADATA_KEY));
+        assertThat(exception.getMetadata(EXPECTED_METADATA_KEY), equalTo(Collections.singletonList(requestId)));
+    }
+
     private interface CryptoTransform {
         String transform(String xml, Tuple<X509Certificate, PrivateKey> keyPair) throws Exception;
     }
@@ -1743,11 +1758,15 @@ private String getSimpleResponseFromXmlTemplate(
     }
 
     private SamlToken token(String content) {
-        return token(content.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+        return token(content.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8), singletonList(requestId));
+    }
+
+    private SamlToken token(String content, List<String> allowedRequestIds) {
+        return token(content.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8), allowedRequestIds);
     }
 
-    private SamlToken token(byte[] content) {
-        return new SamlToken(content, singletonList(requestId), null);
+    private SamlToken token(byte[] content, List<String> allowedRequestIds) {
+        return new SamlToken(content, allowedRequestIds, null);
     }
 
 }