Vulnerability-Lookup

CVE-2026-77610 (GCVE-0-2026-77610)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-09-18 16:55 – Updated: 2026-09-18 16:55

Title

Semantic MediaWiki has a query debug output XSS (`DebugFormatter`)

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.

Severity

6.1 (Medium)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE

CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Assigner

GitHub_M mitre root

References

2 references

URL	Tags
https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMedi…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMedi…	x_refsource_MISC

Impacted products

1 product

Vendor	Product	Version	CPE status
SemanticMediaWiki	SemanticMediaWiki	Affected: < 7.2.0	guessed

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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "SemanticMediaWiki",
          "vendor": "SemanticMediaWiki",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "\u003c 7.2.0"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "Semantic MediaWiki is a free, open-source extension to MediaWiki that lets users store and query data within the wiki\u0027s 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."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackVector": "NETWORK",
            "availabilityImpact": "NONE",
            "baseScore": 6.1,
            "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
            "confidentialityImpact": "LOW",
            "integrityImpact": "LOW",
            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "scope": "CHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
            "version": "3.1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-79",
              "description": "CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (\u0027Cross-site Scripting\u0027)",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-09-18T16:55:01.848Z",
        "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "shortName": "GitHub_M"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_CONFIRM"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/releases/tag/7.2.0",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/releases/tag/7.2.0"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4",
        "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
      },
      "title": "Semantic MediaWiki has a query debug output XSS (`DebugFormatter`)"
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
    "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-77610",
    "datePublished": "2026-09-18T16:55:01.848Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-08-20T20:48:20.508Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-09-18T16:55:01.848Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2026-77610",
      "date": "2026-09-20",
      "epss": "0.00155",
      "percentile": "0.05006"
    },
    "nvd": {
      "cve": {
        "affected": [
          {
            "affectedData": [
              {
                "product": "SemanticMediaWiki",
                "vendor": "SemanticMediaWiki",
                "versions": [
                  {
                    "status": "affected",
                    "version": "\u003c 7.2.0"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ],
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com"
          }
        ],
        "cveTags": [],
        "descriptions": [
          {
            "lang": "en",
            "value": "Semantic MediaWiki is a free, open-source extension to MediaWiki that lets users store and query data within the wiki\u0027s 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."
          }
        ],
        "id": "CVE-2026-77610",
        "lastModified": "2026-09-18T17:17:01.413",
        "metrics": {
          "cvssMetricV31": [
            {
              "cvssData": {
                "attackComplexity": "LOW",
                "attackVector": "NETWORK",
                "availabilityImpact": "NONE",
                "baseScore": 6.1,
                "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
                "confidentialityImpact": "LOW",
                "integrityImpact": "LOW",
                "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
                "scope": "CHANGED",
                "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
                "version": "3.1"
              },
              "exploitabilityScore": 2.8,
              "impactScore": 2.7,
              "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
              "type": "Secondary"
            }
          ]
        },
        "published": "2026-09-18T17:17:01.413",
        "references": [
          {
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
            "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/releases/tag/7.2.0"
          },
          {
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
            "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4"
          }
        ],
        "sourceIdentifier": "security-advisories@github.com",
        "vulnStatus": "Received",
        "weaknesses": [
          {
            "description": [
              {
                "lang": "en",
                "value": "CWE-79"
              }
            ],
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
            "type": "Primary"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

GHSA-Q5FM-9MX6-44F4

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-09-18 16:53 – Updated: 2026-09-18 16:53

Summary

Semantic MediaWiki has a query debug output XSS (`DebugFormatter`)

Details

Query debug output XSS

Failure mode

Semantic MediaWiki's 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:

buildHTML() echoes the re-serialized ASK query string escaping only [; <, >, ", ' pass through.
prettifySQL() returns the generated SQL verbatim. Query value literals are inlined into the SQL through the database layer's quoting (SQL-escaping only, no HTML encoding), so markup in a value survives.
prettifyExplain() echoes EXPLAIN output; on PostgreSQL the plan text contains the WHERE literals.

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. Example request:

Special:Ask?q=[[Text::<script>alert(document.domain)</script>]]&debug=1

Remediation

Apply output-context escaping at the DebugFormatter boundary. The buildHTML() contract already assumes its inputs are HTML-safe, but its callers do not honour that; escape each entry value on emission, and the SQL and EXPLAIN strings before they are wrapped.
Escaping only the query-string echo is insufficient: prettifySQL() and the "Auxilliary Tables" executed-query text carry the same attacker-controlled literals.

Scope

The prettifySPARQL() sink already encodes < and > and is not affected. The same debug path is also reachable through inline {{#ask:...|format=debug}}, but that output returns into parser context and is sanitized there; the reflected Special:Ask path is the exposed sink.

Relationship to GHSA-5jhc-3j2f-52rv

This issue was identified while splitting the consolidated report GHSA-5jhc-3j2f-52rv into per-vulnerability advisories. It is distinct from the four items in that report (plain table header, sep, SearchByProperty value, open redirect) and from Special:Ask form-input XSS (which is escaped separately).

Severity

6.1 (Medium)


                  
                    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Show details on source website

JSON

To clipboard

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 7.1.0"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Packagist",
        "name": "mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "7.2.0"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-77610"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-79"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-09-18T16:53:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "## Query debug output XSS\n\n#### Failure mode\n\nSemantic MediaWiki\u0027s 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:\n\n- `buildHTML()` echoes the re-serialized ASK query string escaping only `[`; `\u003c`, `\u003e`, `\"`, `\u0027` pass through.\n- `prettifySQL()` returns the generated SQL verbatim. Query value literals are inlined into the SQL through the database layer\u0027s quoting (SQL-escaping only, no HTML encoding), so markup in a value survives.\n- `prettifyExplain()` echoes `EXPLAIN` output; on PostgreSQL the plan text contains the `WHERE` literals.\n\nOn `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.\n\nThis 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. Example request:\n\n```\nSpecial:Ask?q=[[Text::\u003cscript\u003ealert(document.domain)\u003c/script\u003e]]\u0026debug=1\n```\n\n#### Remediation\n\n- Apply output-context escaping at the `DebugFormatter` boundary. The `buildHTML()` contract already assumes its inputs are HTML-safe, but its callers do not honour that; escape each entry value on emission, and the SQL and `EXPLAIN` strings before they are wrapped.\n- Escaping only the query-string echo is insufficient: `prettifySQL()` and the \"Auxilliary Tables\" executed-query text carry the same attacker-controlled literals.\n\n#### Scope\n\nThe `prettifySPARQL()` sink already encodes `\u003c` and `\u003e` and is not affected. The same debug path is also reachable through inline `{{#ask:...|format=debug}}`, but that output returns into parser context and is sanitized there; the reflected `Special:Ask` path is the exposed sink.\n\n#### Relationship to GHSA-5jhc-3j2f-52rv\n\nThis issue was identified while splitting the consolidated report GHSA-5jhc-3j2f-52rv into per-vulnerability advisories. It is distinct from the four items in that report (plain table header, `sep`, `SearchByProperty` value, open redirect) and from `Special:Ask` form-input XSS (which is escaped separately).",
  "id": "GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4",
  "modified": "2026-09-18T16:53:23Z",
  "published": "2026-09-18T16:53:23Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-q5fm-9mx6-44f4"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/releases/tag/7.2.0"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Semantic MediaWiki has a query debug output XSS (`DebugFormatter`)"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.

The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.

Related by attack behaviour

Vulnerabilities whose description is nearest to this one in the vector space of the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-biencoder model. This is a similarity search over the bi-encoder space (plain cosine), not a classification, and it has no measured accuracy.