#VU37966 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component in MediaWiki and Debian Linux - CVE-2017-8809

Vulnerability identifier: #VU37966

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2017-8809

CWE-ID: CWE-74

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
MediaWiki
Web applications / CMS
Debian Linux
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: MediaWiki.org
Debian

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote non-authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code.

api.php in MediaWiki before 1.27.4, 1.28.x before 1.28.3, and 1.29.x before 1.29.2 has a Reflected File Download vulnerability.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

MediaWiki: 1.28.0 - 1.29.1

Debian Linux: 1.28.0 - 9.0

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External links
https://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039812
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/mediawiki-announce/2017-November/000216.html
https://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-4036

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.