CVE-2015-2942
HighSummary
MediaWiki versions before 1.19.24, 1.2x before 1.23.9, and 1.24.x before 1.24.2, when using HHVM, are vulnerable to a denial of service attack. Attackers can exploit a large number of nested entity references in SVG files or XMP metadata in PDF files, leading to CPU and memory consumption.
Risk Assessment
Organizations may experience significant availability issues, leading to downtime and potential data loss. This attack can be particularly damaging in high-load environments.
Recommendation
It is recommended to update MediaWiki to the latest version to mitigate this vulnerability. Additionally, monitoring and restricting the ability to upload SVG and PDF files from untrusted sources is advisable.
Other vulnerabilities in MediaWiki
See all- CVE-2026-34092High
A vulnerability in MediaWiki related to the exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. It affects program files includes/Skin/Skin.Php.
- CVE-2026-34091High
CVE-2026-34091 describes an exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors in MediaWiki. This affects versions before 1.43.7, 1.44.4, and 1.45.2.
- CVE-2026-34088High
CVE-2026-34088 involves the exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors in MediaWiki. This affects versions before 1.43.7, 1.44.4, and 1.45.2.
- CVE-2017-8815High
The language converter in MediaWiki before 1.27.4, 1.28.x before 1.28.3, and 1.29.x before 1.29.2 allows attribute injection attacks via glossary rules.
- CVE-2017-8814High
The language converter in MediaWiki before 1.27.4, 1.28.x before 1.28.3, and 1.29.x before 1.29.2 allows attackers to replace text inside tags via a rule definition followed by 'a lot of junk.'
- CVE-2017-8810High
MediaWiki versions before 1.27.4, 1.28.x before 1.28.3, and 1.29.x before 1.29.2, when a private wiki is configured, provide different error messages for failed login attempts depending on whether the username exists. This allows remote attackers to enumerate account names and conduct brute-force attacks.
- CVE-2012-4380High
MediaWiki versions before 1.18.5 and 1.19.x before 1.19.2 allow remote attackers to bypass GlobalBlocking extension IP address blocking and create an account via unspecified vectors.
- CVE-2016-6337High
MediaWiki 1.27.x before 1.27.1 might allow remote attackers to bypass intended session access restrictions by leveraging a call to the UserGetRights function after Session::getAllowedUserRights.
- CVE-2016-6335High
MediaWiki before 1.23.15, 1.26.x before 1.26.4, and 1.27.x before 1.27.1 does not generate head items in the context of a given title, allowing remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a parse action to api.php.
- CVE-2016-6332High
MediaWiki versions before 1.23.15, 1.26.x before 1.26.4, and 1.27.x before 1.27.1, when $wgBlockDisablesLogin is true, may allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by failing to terminate sessions when a user account is blocked.
Original NVD description (English source)
MediaWiki before 1.19.24, 1.2x before 1.23.9, and 1.24.x before 1.24.2, when using HHVM, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) via a large number of nested entity references in an (1) SVG file or (2) XMP metadata in a PDF file, aka a "billion laughs attack," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2937.