CVE-2013-4573 in MediaWiki
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the ZeroRatedMobileAccess extension for MediaWiki 1.19.x before 1.19.9, 1.20.x before 1.20.8, and 1.21.x before 1.21.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the "to" parameter to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2022
The CVE-2013-4573 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the ZeroRatedMobileAccess extension for MediaWiki platforms. This vulnerability affects multiple version ranges including 1.19.x before 1.19.9, 1.20.x before 1.20.8, and 1.21.x before 1.21.3, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing these MediaWiki versions. The vulnerability specifically resides in the handling of user input through the "to" parameter in the index.php script, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected web applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the ZeroRatedMobileAccess extension fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input from the "to" parameter. This parameter is processed without adequate validation mechanisms, allowing attackers to inject malicious payloads that can be executed by other users who access the affected pages. The flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without proper validation or escaping. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic input validation failure where the application trust the user input without sufficient sanitization before incorporating it into dynamic web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and defacement of web content. Remote attackers can craft malicious URLs with crafted "to" parameter values that, when clicked by unsuspecting users, execute scripts in their browser context. This creates a persistent threat vector that can affect any user who visits pages utilizing the vulnerable extension, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability particularly affects mobile access functionality since it's specific to the ZeroRatedMobileAccess extension, which suggests organizations with mobile-first or mobile-optimized MediaWiki deployments face heightened risk.
Organizations should immediately implement several mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to patched versions of MediaWiki that contain the necessary security fixes for the ZeroRatedMobileAccess extension. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing input validation and output escaping mechanisms at the application level to prevent similar issues in other components. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers "Phishing with Social Engineering", as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create malicious web pages that appear legitimate to users. Network administrators should also deploy web application firewalls and implement proper access controls to limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. The remediation process must include thorough testing of patched versions to ensure that legitimate functionality remains intact while addressing the XSS vulnerability. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their MediaWiki installations to identify other potential vulnerabilities that may exist within the broader application ecosystem, particularly focusing on the input handling mechanisms across all installed extensions and plugins.