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Semantic MediaWiki EUVDEUVD-2026-110702

| CVE-2026-116874 MEDIUM
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)
2026-10-27 VulnCheck GHSA-46wr-658f-fvq4
5.3
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Identify public Special:Ask endpoint
  2. Delivery
    Craft link with zero-result query and script in default param
  3. Exploit
    Lure victim to click request_type=special_page URL
  4. Execution
    Unescaped default echoed as text/html, script executes in wiki origin
  5. Impact
    Steal session cookies and CSRF tokens

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 a Semantic MediaWiki installation running default configuration, where the 'send-response' remote-request feature is enabled by default in smwgRemoteReqFeatures (extension.json:1765), exposing the request_type=special_page export path on the public Special:Ask page. The attacker must supply a query that matches zero pages (e.g. [[NonExistentProperty::x]]) to force the SMW_OUTPUT_FILE zero-result fallback that returns the unescaped default parameter, plus p[format]=json and the script payload in p[default]. The decisive limiting factor is required user interaction (UI:P): a victim - ideally an authenticated/privileged wiki user whose session is worth stealing - must follow the attacker-crafted link; no attacker authentication is needed (PR:N). Impact is bounded to what the victim's browser/session can do in the wiki origin. Removing 'send-response' from RemoteReqFeatures is the vendor-stated interim mitigation that disables the vulnerable path.

Impact

This is a genuine but moderate-severity issue, not a drop-everything emergency. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P, VC:L/VI:L/SC:L/SI:L, score 5.3) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated flaw that nonetheless requires victim interaction (UI:P) and yields only low-magnitude confidentiality and integrity impact - consistent with a reflected XSS whose damage is scoped to actions performable as the lured victim in the wiki origin. The SSVC signals align: Exploitation=none (no observed in-the-wild activity), Automatable=yes (the attacker deterministically forces the zero-result fallback with a query like [[NonExistentProperty::x]], so the exploit primitive is reliable), Technical Impact=partial. KEV status is not present, so this is not CISA-listed as actively exploited. EPSS is not provided in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quoted. The vuln.today decision label is 'this_month' - an elevated-but-not-urgent priority - which matches the picture of a reliable, reproducible unauthenticated XSS that still depends on social engineering to land. The GHSA advisory publishes a concrete proof-of-concept request with verified source-line references, raising practical risk above a theoretical finding, but SSVC still records no exploitation. Net: a real, patch-worthy priority for any exposed Semantic MediaWiki instance, but the UI:P requirement and low impact magnitudes keep it below critical/mass-exploitation tier.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker crafts a Special:Ask link containing a zero-result query, p[format]=json, request_type=special_page, and a p[default] value holding a <script> payload, then lures a logged-in wiki user (e.g. an admin) to click it. Because the export-format path echoes the unescaped default parameter with no Content-Type header, the browser renders it as HTML and runs the script in the wiki origin, allowing session-cookie theft, CSRF-token exfiltration, and actions performed as the victim. A full proof-of-concept GET request is published in the vendor's GHSA security advisory, and the zero-result condition is attacker-controlled, making the trigger deterministic; AV:N/AC:L with only UI:P required means the sole real barrier is getting the victim to follow the link.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 28, 2026

Reflected cross-site scripting in Semantic MediaWiki (Composer package mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki) versions 3.1.0 through 7.3.0 lets an unauthenticated attacker execute arbitrary JavaScript in a wiki's origin by convincing a victim to open a crafted Special:Ask link that forces a zero-result JSON export and reflects an unescaped 'default' parameter. Because the injected script runs with the wiki's origin, it can read the victim's session context and CSRF tokens and perform actions as that user; exploitation is deterministic once the link is followed but depends on that user interaction (CVSS v3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N). No confirmed active exploitation exists (CISA KEV not listed, SSVC exploitation: none), though a public proof-of-concept request is documented in the upstream GHSA-574v-j8hf-88h3 advisory; the vendor-released fix is 7.3.1 and the priority signal is 'this_month'.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade Semantic MediaWiki to 7.3.1 (Composer package mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki), which is the version the upstream advisory lists as fixed; updating is the only complete fix for the reflected XSS in JsonResultPrinter. Administrators who cannot update immediately can apply the vendor-stated interim mitigation of disabling the remote request feature by removing 'send-response' from RemoteReqFeatures (smwgRemoteReqFeatures in extension.json:1765) in the wiki configuration, which removes the request_type=special_page export path that makes the unescaped output reachable; the trade-off is that any workflows relying on the remote request 'send-response' feature stop working. Upstream suggested code-level fixes are, alternatively, applying htmlspecialchars() to $this->params['default'] in JsonResultPrinter::getResultText() when returning the zero-result fallback in SMW_OUTPUT_FILE mode, or setting Content-Type: application/json on the request_type=special_page path at SpecialAsk.php:321, which also prevents other content injection through FILE-mode output. Full details are in the GitHub advisory GHSA-574v-j8hf-88h3 (https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-574v-j8hf-88h3).

Affected VersionsENISA

SemanticMediaWiki 3.1.0 <7.3.1

Affected Packages

euvd semanticmediawiki fix: 7.3.1

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in 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 PHP MediaWiki extension that adds semantic annotations and query result printers; the flaw is CWE-79 (improper neutralization of input during web page generation). The vulnerable sink is JsonResultPrinter::getResultText() (src/Query/ResultPrinters/JsonResultPrinter.php:123-124), which returns $this->params['default'] verbatim when the query result count is zero. The base-class guard that would normally call escapeText() in ResultPrinter::buildResult() (src/Query/ResultPrinters/ResultPrinter.php:353) is gated by the condition $outputMode !== SMW_OUTPUT_FILE, so it is skipped precisely in the FILE output mode; the post-processing in handleNonFileResult() (line 371) is gated by the same condition and also does not run. JsonResultPrinter extends FileExportPrinter, so isExportFormat() is true, and SpecialAsk.php:321 calls $printer->getResult($res, $this->params, SMW_OUTPUT_FILE) when request_type=special_page is supplied; OutputPage is disabled at line 315 and the result is echoed directly at line 323 with no Content-Type header, so the response is served as text/html and the injected script executes. The path is reachable with default configuration because the send-response remote request feature is enabled in smwgRemoteReqFeatures (extension.json:1765). This is an independent defect from GHSA-7xv3-gf2g-498h, which addressed the table printer's 'sep' parameter via TableResultPrinter::getValueSeparator(); the 'default' parameter flows through a different printer and code path. The upstream advisory notes that JsonResultPrinter has existed since version 1.5.3 but that the introduction boundary for the request_type=special_page path could not be established from repository history.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 5.3 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.1 MEDIUM

Unauthenticated network reflected XSS in default config (PR:N, AV:N, AC:L) needing victim to click a link (UI:R); script runs in a separate browser origin (S:C) with low C/I and no availability impact.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Passive
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
Low
Vulnerable system: Integrity
Low
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
Low
Subsequent system: Integrity
Low
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

1
Patch available
Oct 27, 2026 - 11:01 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

SemanticMediaWiki from 3.1.0 before 7.3.1 contains a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to inject scripts through the unescaped default parameter in JsonResultPrinter. Attackers can lure victims to a crafted Special:Ask link with a zero-result query and request_type=special_page, executing JavaScript in the wiki origin to steal sessions or CSRF tokens.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 94% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular MediaWiki extension, confined to wiki deployments not everywhere
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

26
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: 0
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.

Cross-Site Request Forgery exploits the automatic credential inclusion behavior of web browsers.

CVE-2025-61682 HIGH POC
8.6 Sep 18

Stored cross-site scripting in Semantic MediaWiki 3.1.0 through 6.x lets users with the MediaWiki 'edit' right inject ar

CVE-2026-116878 HIGH
8.7 Oct 27

Semantic MediaWiki before 7.3.1 exposes Special:PropertyLabelSimilarity without an administrator restriction, and a call

CVE-2026-116877 HIGH
8.7 Oct 27

Semantic MediaWiki 2.5.0 through 7.3.0 lets an editor with ordinary page-edit permission exhaust server CPU, memory and

CVE-2026-116872 HIGH
8.7 Oct 27

Quadratic CPU consumption in Semantic MediaWiki's term parser gives unauthenticated visitors a way to tie up PHP search

CVE-2026-116871 HIGH
8.7 Oct 27

Unauthenticated CPU and memory exhaustion in Semantic MediaWiki 3.0.0 up to (but not including) 7.3.1 allows remote atta

CVE-2026-116880 HIGH
7.1 Oct 27

Cross-site request forgery in Semantic MediaWiki's Special:SMWAdmin page allows an attacker to drive destructive mainten

CVE-2026-116876 HIGH
7.1 Oct 27

Semantic MediaWiki 2.5.0 through 7.3.1-alpha applies annotation-driven page protection without any authorization check,

CVE-2026-116890 MEDIUM
6.9 Oct 27

Missing authorization in the Semantic MediaWiki smwtask API module allows unauthenticated remote visitors to invoke main

CVE-2026-116879 MEDIUM
6.9 Oct 27

Semantic MediaWiki 7.3.0 through 7.3.1-alpha fails to authorize the target page in its smwtask update task, letting a ca

CVE-2026-116873 MEDIUM
6.9 Oct 27

Missing authorization in Semantic MediaWiki 7.3.0 lets unauthenticated remote callers run queued maintenance jobs of arb

CVE-2026-77616 MEDIUM
6.1 Sep 18

Reflected cross-site scripting in Semantic MediaWiki 7.0.0 through 7.1.0 lets an unauthenticated attacker execute arbitr

CVE-2026-77610 MEDIUM
6.1 Sep 18

Reflected cross-site scripting in Semantic MediaWiki 7.1.0 and earlier lets an unauthenticated remote attacker inject ar

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