CVE-2005-2396 in MediaWiki
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in MediaWiki 1.4.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a parameter to the page move template.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2396 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in MediaWiki versions 1.4.6 and earlier, specifically within the page move template functionality. This issue enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code in the context of affected users' browsers, creating a significant security risk for wiki administrators and users who may inadvertently encounter compromised content. The vulnerability resides in how the software processes user input parameters during page move operations, failing to properly sanitize or encode potentially malicious content before rendering it in web responses.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious parameter value and submits it through the page move template interface. MediaWiki's insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms allow this malicious content to be stored and subsequently executed when other users view the affected pages. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without proper sanitization or encoding. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of inadequate data validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to steal user sessions, deface wiki content, redirect users to malicious sites, or harvest sensitive information from authenticated sessions. Wiki platforms often serve as collaborative environments where users trust the content and may have elevated privileges, making the potential damage from such an attack significantly greater than in typical web applications. The vulnerability affects not just individual users but entire wiki communities, potentially compromising the integrity and availability of collaborative knowledge bases. This flaw particularly impacts organizations relying on MediaWiki for documentation, knowledge management, or collaborative platforms where the integrity of content is paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2396 involve immediate patching of affected MediaWiki installations to versions that properly address the input validation and output encoding issues. Administrators should implement comprehensive input sanitization measures and ensure that all user-supplied data is properly encoded before being rendered in web pages. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent script execution from unauthorized sources. Organizations should also consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious parameter values and establish regular security auditing practices to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities for initial access and privilege escalation within target environments.