Semantic MediaWiki has a query debug output XSS (`DebugFormatter`)
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Cross-site scripting
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-79.
Summary
Semantic MediaWiki is a free, open-source extension to MediaWiki that lets users store and query data within the wiki's pages. Prior to version 7.2.0, query debug output (`format=debug`, or the `debug` request parameter on `Special:Ask`) is assembled by `SMW\Query\DebugFormatter` and emitted as raw HTML. Several of its sinks apply no output-context encoding, so attacker-controlled query input is reflected into the page without escaping. On `Special:Ask` the resulting string is concatenated into the page and sent through `OutputPage::addHTML`, never through the MediaWiki parser or Sanitizer. No special user right is required; an anonymous request suffices. This is a reflected XSS: the payload is taken from the request and echoed in the same response. Exploitation requires the query condition to target a text/blob-typed property (whose value is re-serialized verbatim); the predefined `_txt` properties (`Text`, etc.) that ship on every install satisfy this, so no attacker-created content is needed. Version 7.2.0 patches the issue.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SemanticMediaWiki | SemanticMediaWiki | before 7.2.0 | 7.2.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki (Packagist) | before 7.2.0 | 7.2.0 | Patch available | GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4 |
- SemanticMediaWiki VendorSemanticMediaWiki Affected before 7.2.0 Fixed in 7.2.0 Patch available CNA
- mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki (Packagist) Vendor— Affected before 7.2.0 Fixed in 7.2.0 Patch available GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4
CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1
Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:semantic-mediawiki:semantic_mediawiki:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | — | — | SemanticMediaWiki |
- cpe:2.3:a:semantic-mediawiki:semantic_mediawiki:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·SemanticMediaWiki
Remediation
- Fix · CNA SemanticMediaWiki (SemanticMediaWiki) Fixed in 7.2.0
- Fix · GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4 mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki (Packagist) Fixed in 7.2.0 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-77610
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4
References
More SemanticMediaWiki vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-81081 Resource exhaustion in Semantic MediaWiki via #set_recurring_event CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-81076 Semantic MediaWiki search lets attackers exhaust CPU via long terms CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-81075 Uncontrolled recursion in Semantic MediaWiki via Special:Ask CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2025-38114 Semantic MediaWiki vulnerable to stored XSS through wikitext via improper use of non-reserved data attributes CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
- TI-2026-81077 Missing authorization in Semantic MediaWiki smwtask API CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.9
- TI-2026-81084 Cross-site request forgery in Semantic MediaWiki SMWAdmin page CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-77610 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-77610 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences