# CVE-2026-116872: Semantic MediaWiki algorithmic complexity in search parsing

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116872-semantic-mediawiki-from-3-0-0-before-7-3-1-contains-an  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-27. Updated: 2026-10-27  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-116872 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-10-27

Semantic MediaWiki, a search and data organization extension for MediaWiki, contains a flaw in its search term parser that causes excessive CPU consumption. An unauthenticated attacker can submit specially crafted search queries with many filter expressions to the Special:Search page to exhaust server resources and slow or halt search functionality for all users.

Technologies: [Semantic MediaWiki](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/semantic-mediawiki). Vendors: [Semantic MediaWiki](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/semantic-mediawiki).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-116872 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-116872 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-116872?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 27 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Semantic MediaWiki 3.0.0 before 7.3.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-116872?** Yes: fixed in 7.3.1. Until then: Disable or restrict access to Special:Search, or configure an alternative search backend that does not use SMW's ExtendedSearchEngine until upgrading. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-116872 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-116872?** Check whether you run Semantic MediaWiki at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- Fixed in 7.3.1

Disable or restrict access to Special:Search, or configure an alternative search backend that does not use SMW's ExtendedSearchEngine until upgrading.

## Technical details

The TermParser::normalize_compact_form() method uses repeated str_replace() calls across the full search term for each compact in:(...) or has:(...) expression, resulting in quadratic time complexity with respect to input length. An unauthenticated attacker can reach this code by submitting a long search term to Special:Search when the ExtendedSearchEngine backend is configured. The attack exhausts PHP worker threads through CPU consumption without requiring authentication or user interaction.

## Affected products

- Semantic MediaWiki Semantic MediaWiki 3.0.0 before 7.3.1

## Timeline

- 2026-09-28: disclosed
- 2026-09-28: patched: version 7.3.1 released
- 2026-10-27: advisory

## References

- [https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/commit/c2bf1699dec4016e21ce52613152bda799ce87d4](https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/commit/c2bf1699dec4016e21ce52613152bda799ce87d4)
- [https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-j2r2-7qpg-p675](https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki/security/advisories/GHSA-j2r2-7qpg-p675)

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