# Semantic MediaWiki missing authorization in smwtask API module

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/semantic-mediawiki-missing-authorization-in-smwtask-api-module-37615b77  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-18. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

Severity: high · CVSS 7.3 · Published 2026-09-18

Semantic MediaWiki's smwtask API endpoint fails to enforce permission checks, allowing unauthenticated users to access administrator-only database operations. An attacker can retrieve internal database statistics, trigger resource-intensive maintenance jobs, and modify semantic data—capabilities normally restricted to administrators via the web interface.

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

## Quick answers

**Is This vulnerability exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of This vulnerability being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is This vulnerability?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.3, published 18 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki (Packagist) >= 3.0.0, <= 7.2.1; Semantic MediaWiki 3.0 through 7.2.x (all versions with smwtask API module).

**Is there a fix for This vulnerability?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is This vulnerability attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected?** Check whether you run mediawiki/semantic-media-wiki (Packagist) or 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.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is a missing authorization check in SMW\MediaWiki\Api\Task::execute() (src/MediaWiki/Api/Task.php). The module relies solely on CSRF token validation (`needsToken('csrf')`), which does not authorize; MediaWiki issues anonymous users a fixed, public CSRF token ("+\"), allowing unauthenticated requests to pass. The corresponding web interface (Special:SMWAdmin) correctly enforces the 'smw-admin' right via permission checks and PermissionsError exceptions. Unauthenticated attackers can invoke tasks including table-statistics (information disclosure), insert-job (resource exhaustion via arbitrary job enqueue), and run-joblist (synchronous execution of maintenance operations), and can target semantic data integrity via entity-disposal operations.

## Affected products

- Semantic MediaWiki Semantic MediaWiki 3.0 through 7.2.x (all versions with smwtask API module)

## Timeline

- 2026-09-18: disclosed

## Related threats

- [Semantic MediaWiki authorization bypass in edit protection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126566-semantic-mediawiki-7-3-1-before-7-4-1-contains-an-incorrect)
- [Semantic MediaWiki denial of service in concept expansion](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126565-semantic-mediawiki-3-0-0-before-7-4-1-contains-a-denial-of)
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- [Semantic MediaWiki uncontrolled recursion in ConceptDescriptionInterpreter](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126562-semantic-mediawiki-3-0-0-before-7-4-1-contains-an-uncontrolled)
- [Semantic MediaWiki missing authorization in page edit protection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-126561-semantic-mediawiki-2-5-0-before-7-4-1-contains-a-missing)