Semantic MediaWiki: Stored cross-site scripting in Special:Ask
Summary
Semantic MediaWiki versions from 3.0.0 before 7.4.1 contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Special:Ask when the ElasticStore backend is used. Users with edit rights can store script markup in a Text property or subobject name, which is output without escaping. An attacker can lure victims, including administrators, to a crafted Special:Ask link to run script in their session. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 5.1 (Medium).
Affected
- Semantic MediaWiki 3.0.0 up to before 7.4.1 (CNA range; VulDB lists up to 7.4.0)
- Relevant only with the ElasticStore backend (per the description)
Fixed in
- Semantic MediaWiki 7.4.1 (released 2026-11-10)
Workaround
- Unknown. No patch-independent workaround is documented by the vendor.
- Interim measure (own recommendation): limit edit rights to trusted staff until the upgrade is done.
Exploitation
- No known exploitation at the time of writing; not listed in CISA KEV.
- No public exploit code has been confirmed by the sources reviewed.
Our recommendation
- Upgrade Semantic MediaWiki to 7.4.1 or later in the next maintenance window, sooner if the wiki is public or uses ElasticStore.
- Limit edit rights to trusted staff until the upgrade is done.
- Check whether the wiki uses the ElasticStore backend and review who has edit rights.
- Monitor for public exploit code or a KEV entry.
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-7j96-w9cc-r7rq github.com
- Semantic MediaWiki release 7.4.1 github.com
- Fix commit fca9922 github.com
- SpecialAsk.php at 7.4.0 github.com
- ScoreSet.php at 7.4.0 github.com
- Strix CVE summary www.strix.ai
- MediaWiki extension page: Semantic MediaWiki www.mediawiki.org
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, 19:02.
Original description (NVD)
Semantic MediaWiki 3.0.0 before 7.4.1 contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Special:Ask with the ElasticStore backend, allowing users with edit rights to inject script through unescaped native_result and score_set output. Attackers can store markup in a Text property or subobject name, then lure victims including administrators to a crafted Special:Ask link to execute script in their session.
NVD references (7)
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/blob/7.4.0/src/MediaWiki/Specials/SpecialAsk.php#L512-…
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/blob/7.4.0/src/Query/ScoreSet.php#L128-L140
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/commit/fca9922835f4353e67a71cfef4d527d46e7c3ad3
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/releases/tag/7.4.1
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-7j96-w9cc-r7rq
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/semantic-mediawiki-3.0.0-before-7.4.1-stored-xss-via-special-ask-debug-o…
- https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-7j96-w9cc-r7rq
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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