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Semantic MediaWiki EUVDEUVD-2025-210943

| CVE-2025-61682 HIGH
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)
2026-09-18 GitHub_M GHSA-hg8h-557g-q8pp
8.6
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: GitHub_M
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain wiki account with edit rights
  2. Delivery
    Craft wikitext with malicious data-subtab attribute
  3. Exploit
    Save page storing XSS payload
  4. Execution
    Victim views page, ext.smw.js writes attribute to innerHTML
  5. Persist
    JavaScript executes in victim's browser context
  6. Impact
    Steal session/perform actions as victim

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Requires an account with the MediaWiki 'edit' right to inject the payload via wikitext using the {{#tag:div|class=smw-subtab|data-subtab=...}} construct - this is the specific feature abused, because non-reserved data attributes such as data-subtab are settable from wikitext and ext.smw.js parses data-subtab of any .smw-subtab element as JSON and appends it to innerHTML. Exploitation is limited by: (1) needing edit privileges (open/anonymous-edit wikis lower this barrier, closed wikis raise it to authenticated users), (2) a victim must subsequently view the crafted page for the stored payload to fire, and (3) only affects installs running Semantic MediaWiki 3.1.0 through 6.x (fixed in 7.0.0).

Impact

This is a legitimate but moderate-severity stored XSS in the Semantic MediaWiki extension. The vendor CVSS of 8.6 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L) overstates real-world risk in two ways. First, PR:N conflicts with the advisory's own Impact statement, which says exploitation requires 'any user with the edit right' - injection is therefore authenticated (PR:L) on most non-open wikis, not truly unauthenticated. Second, C:H and UI:N are aggressive for a browser-side stored XSS: typical scoring is C:L/I:L, S:C (script executes in the victim's browser under the wiki's origin), and UI:R because a victim must view the crafted page. A publicly available exploit exists (a full PoC and screenshots are in the GHSA advisory), so exploitability is proven and trivial to reproduce, but there is no EPSS score provided and no CISA KEV listing - status: publicly available exploit code exists, not confirmed active exploitation. No SSVC data was provided. Net: real and easily reproducible, worth patching promptly on multi-user wikis, but the effective risk is that of a self-contained privilege-escalation/session-hijack primitive requiring an account with edit rights, not a mass-exploitable unauthenticated RCE.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker holding edit rights on a Semantic MediaWiki-enabled wiki creates or edits a page containing a {{#tag:div}} with class=smw-subtab and a crafted data-subtab attribute whose decoded JSON value is an HTML string like "<img src='' onerror=alert(1)>". When any other user (including an admin) views the page, ext.smw.js reads the attribute via .dataset and appends it to innerHTML, executing the attacker's JavaScript in the victim's session. A working PoC is published in the GHSA advisory, so weaponization (e.g., session/cookie theft or admin-action forgery) is straightforward.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 18, 2026

Stored cross-site scripting in Semantic MediaWiki 3.1.0 through 6.x lets users with the MediaWiki 'edit' right inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript via the data-subtab attribute, with execution occurring when a victim views the affected page. Publicly available exploit code exists, but the independent assessment rates this as a moderate-severity issue because it requires edit privileges and user interaction. The flaw is fixed in Semantic MediaWiki 7.0.0.

RemediationAI

Upgrade Semantic MediaWiki to version 7.0.0, which is the vendor-released patch for this issue; see the release notes at https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/releases/tag/7.0.0 and the advisory at https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-hg8h-557g-q8pp. If upgrading immediately is not possible, restrict the MediaWiki 'edit' right to trusted users only, which lowers exposure but does not eliminate the risk if trusted accounts are compromised and is impractical for open-edit wikis. Disabling or uninstalling the Semantic MediaWiki extension prevents exploitation of this code path but removes semantic data storage and query functionality. Because the injected payload is stored and fires when another user views the page, there is no reliable server-side content filter workaround short of patching or disabling the extension; limiting page viewing or monitoring for suspicious data-subtab attributes is only a compensating control with incomplete coverage.

Affected VersionsENISA

SemanticMediaWiki 3.1.0, < 7.0.0

Affected Packages

composer mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki fix: 7.0.0
euvd semanticmediawiki_3_1_0 fix: 7.0.0

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 2 packages in composer, euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Semantic MediaWiki is a MediaWiki extension that stores and queries structured data within wiki pages. The root cause is CWE-79, improper neutralization of user-controllable input during web page generation: in ext.smw.js, the data-subtab attribute of any element with the smw-subtab class is parsed as JSON and appended to the element's innerHTML. Because most data attributes, including non-reserved ones such as data-subtab, can be set from wikitext, a user with edit rights can inject HTML and JavaScript through constructs like {{#tag:div|class=smw-subtab|data-subtab=...}}. The authoritative assessed vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N, meaning remote exploitation requires a low-privileged authenticated user with 'edit' rights and a victim to view the crafted page; the impact is scoped to the victim's browser with low confidentiality and integrity impacts. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:semanticmediawiki:semanticmediawiki:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* identifies the extension package, and the Composer package composer/mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki lists vulnerable versions >=3.1.0 and <7.0.0.

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Severity by source

Vendor (GitHub_M) PRIMARY 8.6 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
vuln.today AI 5.4 MEDIUM

Injection requires edit rights (PR:L) and a victim must view the page (UI:R); XSS crosses into the victim's browser context (S:C) with limited confidentiality/integrity impact (C:L/I:L), no availability impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (GitHub_M).

CVSS VectorVendor: GitHub_M

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Sep 18, 2026 - 17:17 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 18, 2026 - 16:09 cve.org
HIGH 8.6

DescriptionCVE.org

Semantic MediaWiki is a free, open-source extension to MediaWiki that lets users store and query data within the wiki's pages. Versions starting in 3.1.0 and prior to 7.0.0 insert the unsanitized value of a data attribute into the DOM as HTML, allowing for stored XSS through wikitext. Version 7.0.0 patches the issue.

Technical POC Analysis

CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation).

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Semantic MediaWiki versions 3.1.0 through 6.x contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows users with edit permissions to inject malicious scripts, which execute when other users view affected wiki pages. This poses a risk of session hijacking, data theft, and unauthorized actions, affecting any organization using these versions for internal or external collaboration. Leadership should prioritize remediation because public exploit code exists, increasing the likelihood of targeted attacks.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 78% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
Popular MediaWiki extension but limited to wiki deployments running Semantic MediaWiki
Threat Intel
1
1 sources
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment GHSA GitHub

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

63
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +43
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.

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An issue was discovered in the CheckUser extension for MediaWiki through 1.39.3. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), thi

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The SemanticDrilldown extension for MediaWiki through 1.37.2 (before e688bdba6434591b5dff689a45e4d53459954773) allows SQ

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An issue was discovered in MediaWiki through 1.37.1. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely

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9.8 Nov 15

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An issue was discovered in the FileImporter extension in MediaWiki through 1.36. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vu

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