CVE-2025-23080
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the MediaWiki OpenBadges extension. Attackers can inject malicious scripts into web pages, potentially compromising user sessions or stealing sensitive data. Affected users include anyone running vulnerable versions of MediaWiki with the OpenBadges extension enabled.
💻 Affected Systems
- Wikimedia Foundation Mediawiki - OpenBadges Extension
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator credentials, deface websites, or redirect users to malicious sites, potentially leading to complete system compromise if combined with other vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
Session hijacking, cookie theft, or credential harvesting from users who visit maliciously crafted pages.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper Content Security Policy (CSP) headers are implemented and user input validation is enforced elsewhere.
🎯 Exploit Status
XSS vulnerabilities typically have low exploitation complexity. The vulnerability allows injection during web page generation, suggesting reflected or stored XSS possibilities.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: MediaWiki 1.39.11, 1.41.3, or 1.42.2
Vendor Advisory: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T381220
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update MediaWiki to version 1.39.11, 1.41.3, or 1.42.2. 2. Verify the OpenBadges extension is updated as part of the MediaWiki update. 3. Clear any caches if applicable.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable OpenBadges Extension
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable extension until patching is possible.
Edit LocalSettings.php and remove or comment out the line: wfLoadExtension('OpenBadges');
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to mitigate XSS impact by restricting script execution sources.
Add to web server configuration or MediaWiki settings: Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the OpenBadges extension immediately.
- Implement strict input validation and output encoding for all user inputs in custom code.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check MediaWiki version and verify OpenBadges extension is enabled. Vulnerable if version is 1.39.0-1.39.10, 1.41.0-1.41.2, or 1.42.0-1.42.1.Check Version:
Check MediaWiki version via Special:Version page or examine includes/DefaultSettings.php for $wgVersion.Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm MediaWiki version is 1.39.11, 1.41.3, or 1.42.2. Test XSS payloads in OpenBadges functionality to ensure they are properly sanitized.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual script tags or JavaScript in URL parameters or POST data related to OpenBadges functionality.
- Multiple failed XSS attempts in web server logs.
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing suspicious script tags or encoded payloads targeting OpenBadges endpoints.
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND (uri="*OpenBadges*" OR uri="*badge*") AND (content="<script>" OR content="javascript:" OR content="onerror=" OR content="onload=")