CVE-2005-3166 in MediaWiki
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in "edit submission handling" for MediaWiki 1.4.x before 1.4.10 and 1.3.x before 1.3.16 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (corruption of the previous submission) via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/29/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3166 represents a critical flaw in MediaWiki's submission handling mechanism that existed in versions prior to 1.4.10 and 1.3.16. This issue falls under the category of unspecified vulnerability types that specifically target the editing and submission processing components of the wiki platform. The flaw manifests when the system processes crafted URLs that manipulate the submission handling logic, leading to unintended consequences in the editing workflow. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the core of MediaWiki's collaborative editing infrastructure where users submit content changes that are then processed and stored within the system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the MediaWiki submission handling code. When a remote attacker crafts a malicious URL containing specially formatted parameters, the system fails to properly validate these inputs before processing the submission. This lack of proper validation creates a condition where the submission handling mechanism becomes vulnerable to manipulation, potentially causing corruption of existing submissions or disrupting the normal workflow of content editing. The flaw likely resides in how the system parses and processes URL parameters that are intended to manage editing sessions or submission states, allowing attackers to inject malicious data that interferes with the normal processing sequence. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-170, which covers improper handling of input that can lead to data corruption or unexpected behavior in software applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-3166 extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially compromise the integrity of collaborative content management systems. When exploited, this vulnerability can cause the corruption of previous submissions, which means that existing wiki content may become inaccessible or lose critical data during the editing process. This disruption affects not only individual users but also entire wiki communities that rely on continuous editing workflows and collaborative content creation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users are simultaneously editing content, as the corruption can affect not just the attacker's own submissions but potentially interfere with legitimate user activities. The denial of service aspect means that legitimate users may be unable to submit their changes, effectively halting collaborative work on the wiki platform.
Organizations and administrators using affected MediaWiki versions should prioritize immediate remediation through version updates to 1.4.10 or 1.3.16 respectively. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and parameter handling in web applications, particularly those that manage collaborative content. Security measures should include implementing robust URL parameter validation, establishing proper session management controls, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious URL patterns. From an att&ck framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving input manipulation and denial of service, specifically targeting the privilege escalation and denial of service tactics. The remediation process should also include comprehensive testing of submission handling workflows to ensure that similar vulnerabilities have not been introduced through custom extensions or modifications to the core MediaWiki platform.