Semantic MediaWiki: Incorrect authorization in edit protection annotations
Summary
Semantic MediaWiki 7.3.1 before 7.4.1 contains an incorrect authorization flaw in the edit protection handling. The permission check compares protection changes against the author of the page's latest revision instead of the protecting administrator. An editor can add an annotation to a transcluded template that removes administrator edit and move protection, and the change is logged under the administrator's name.
Affected
- Semantic MediaWiki 7.3.1 to before 7.4.1 (CNA data)
- Versions before 7.3.1: Unknown.
Fixed in
- Fixed in Semantic MediaWiki 7.4.1
Workaround
- No vendor workaround known.
- Interim measure (not vendor-sourced): restrict edit rights on widely transcluded templates and review recent protection changes on protected pages.
Exploitation
- Not known to be exploited.
- No public proof of concept found (not independently verified).
Our recommendation
- Check whether Semantic MediaWiki is in use and which version is installed.
- Update to Semantic MediaWiki 7.4.1 or later; the same release also fixes other SMW issues.
- Until patched, limit edit rights on transcluded templates and review recent protection changes.
- Verify the affected range against the GitHub advisory, as the data is still preliminary.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- CVE record / VulnCheck advisory www.vulncheck.com
- GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-gh59-2vh3-6cgm github.com
- Semantic MediaWiki 7.4.1 release github.com
- Fix commit 32ca6d8 github.com
- EditProtectionUpdater.php at 7.4.0 github.com
- DataUpdater.php at 7.4.0 github.com
- VulDB entry 435574 vuldb.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 11 Nov 2026, 07:01.
Original description (NVD)
Semantic MediaWiki 7.3.1 before 7.4.1 contains an incorrect authorization vulnerability in EditProtectionUpdater::userMayChangeProtection() that checks protection changes against the page's latest revision author. Editors can add {{#set:Is edit protected=false}} to a transcluded template, removing administrator edit and move protection logged under the administrator's name.
NVD references (7)
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/blob/7.4.0/src/DataUpdater.php#L360-L375
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/blob/7.4.0/src/Protection/EditProtectionUpdater.php#L1…
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/commit/32ca6d8fc75735aa7a2ecc573886391da126da9b
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/releases/tag/7.4.1
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-gh59-2vh3-6cgm
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/semantic-mediawiki-7.3.1-before-7.4.1-incorrect-authorization-via-edit-p…
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-gh59-2vh3-6cgm
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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