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MediawikiCMS

CVE-2014-9487

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-10-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The getid3 library in MediaWiki before 1.24.1, 1.23.8, 1.22.15 and 1.19.23 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files, cause a denial of service, or possibly have other impact via an XML External Entity (XXE) attack. NOTE: Related to CVE-2014-2053.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The getid3 library in MediaWiki contains an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability that allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files from the server, cause denial of service, or potentially execute other attacks via crafted XML input processed by the library.

MitigationUpgrade MediaWiki to version 1.24.1, 1.23.8, 1.22.15, or 1.19.23 or later, which includes a patched version of the getid3 library that addresses the XXE vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
MediawikiCMS
Affected:= 1.19= 1.19.0= 1.19.1= 1.19.2= 1.19.3= 1.19.4= 1.19.5= 1.19.6= 1.19.7= 1.19.8= 1.19.9= 1.19.10

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if MediaWiki is installed
    Check your web server document root for MediaWiki installation directories or check package manager for mediawiki package
    Affected if MediaWiki is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed MediaWiki version
    Check the file 'includes/Defines.php' in the MediaWiki installation directory for the MW_VERSION constant, or run 'grep -r "wgVersion" includes/DefaultSettings.php' to find the version line
    Affected if The version is 1.19.x (specifically 1.19 through 1.19.10)
  3. Locate the bundled getid3 library
    Look for the getid3 directory within the MediaWiki installation, typically under 'includes/libs/getid3' or similar paths containing 'getid3'
    Affected if The getid3 library directory exists in the MediaWiki installation
  4. Check if XML file processing features are enabled
    Review MediaWiki configuration in 'LocalSettings.php' for any extensions or modules that process XML files using the getid3 library
    Affected if Extensions or features that use getid3 for XML parsing are enabled and accessible to users

A user is affected if MediaWiki version 1.19.x (versions 1.19 through 1.19.10) is installed with the bundled getid3 library and XML processing features are accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade MediaWiki to version 1.24.1, 1.23.8, 1.22.15, or 1.19.23 or later, which includes a patched version of the getid3 library that addresses the XXE vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

MediaWiki 1.24.1 (or later stable release; alternatively 1.23.8, 1.22.15, or 1.19.23 for respective branches)

  1. 1. Back up the MediaWiki database and all files
  2. 2. Download MediaWiki version 1.24.1 (or a later stable release) from the official MediaWiki website
  3. 3. Extract the new MediaWiki files to a temporary location
  4. 4. Copy the new files over the existing MediaWiki installation, preserving local configuration (LocalSettings.php)
  5. 5. Run the database update script (php maintenance/update.php) from the command line
  6. 6. Verify the installation is working and the XXE vulnerability is patched

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mediawiki Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-9487 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data