Executive brief
Semantic MediaWiki is a knowledge management extension for MediaWiki that enables structured data storage and querying. The SearchByProperty page contains a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the property and value parameters, allowing an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser. An exploit requires tricking a user into clicking a malicious link, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement of the affected wiki.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a reflected XSS (CWE-79) in the Special:SearchByProperty page. The `value` parameter (and `property` parameter) are reflected into rendered output and error messaging paths without sufficient output encoding. An attacker crafts a malicious URL with JavaScript payload in the query parameters; when a victim visits the URL, the script executes in their browser context with the privileges of the authenticated wiki user. The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction (clicking the link). No authentication is required to trigger the payload. The fix, available in version 7.2.0, escapes form values before rendering them in input fields and escapes error messages before rendering into HTML.
Affected products
- Semantic MediaWiki Semantic MediaWiki <= 7.1.0
Timeline
- 2026-07-18: disclosed
- 2026-07-18: patched: Version 7.2.0 released
- 2026-09-18: advisory