dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-53485

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
SetTranslationHandler.php does not validate that the user is an election admin, allowing any (even unauthenticated) user to change election-related translation text. While partially broken in newer MediaWiki versions, the check is still missing. This issue affects Mediawiki - SecurePoll extension: from 1.39.X before 1.39.13, from 1.42.X before 1.42.7, from 1.43.X before 1.43.2.

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 SecurePoll extension's SetTranslationHandler.php endpoint lacks an authorization check to verify the user has election admin privileges. This allows any requester, including unauthenticated users, to modify election-related translation text by directly calling the handler, constituting a broken access control vulnerability.

MitigationUpgrade MediaWiki SecurePoll to version 1.39.13, 1.42.7, or 1.43.2 which contain the missing election admin authorization check in SetTranslationHandler.php.

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

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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. Verify SecurePoll extension is installed
    Check the MediaWiki extensions directory for the SecurePoll folder, or look for 'wfLoadExtension( 'SecurePoll' )' in LocalSettings.php
    Affected if SecurePoll extension is present and enabled in MediaWiki
  2. Identify the installed SecurePoll version
    Check the extension's version file (usually in includes/ SecurePoll.php or SpecialSecurePoll.php) or look at the version number in the composer.json or extension.json file within the SecurePoll directory
    Affected if Version is below 1.39.13, 1.42.7, or 1.43.2, or if the version cannot be determined (likely vulnerable)
  3. Confirm SetTranslationHandler.php exists
    Locate the file SetTranslationHandler.php within the SecurePoll extension directory (typically in includes/handlers/ or similar subdirectory)
    Affected if The file exists in the installation, meaning the vulnerable endpoint is present
  4. Check if the translation handler endpoint is accessible
    Attempt a POST request to the SetTranslationHandler endpoint (usually at /wiki/Special:SecurePoll/set-translation or similar URL pattern). If the server accepts the request without requiring election admin authentication, the vulnerability is present.
    Affected if The endpoint accepts and processes requests without verifying user has election admin privileges

If SecurePoll is installed and its version is lower than 1.39.13, 1.42.7, or 1.43.2, the installation is affected by this missing authorization check.

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 SecurePoll to version 1.39.13, 1.42.7, or 1.43.2 which contain the missing election admin authorization check in SetTranslationHandler.php.

Recommended fix High confidence

SecurePoll 1.39.13 (for 1.39.x users), 1.42.7 (for 1.42.x users), or 1.43.2 (for 1.43.x users)

  1. Identify the current version of the SecurePoll extension by checking the extension's version file or composer.json
  2. Determine which release branch (1.39, 1.42, or 1.43) is currently installed
  3. If running 1.39.x: upgrade SecurePoll to version 1.39.13 or later
  4. If running 1.42.x: upgrade SecurePoll to version 1.42.7 or later
  5. If running 1.43.x: upgrade SecurePoll to version 1.43.2 or later
  6. Upgrade can be performed via composer update wikimedia/securepoll or by pulling the updated extension from the MediaWiki repository
  7. Clear any relevant caches after upgrading
  8. Verify the authorization check is now present in SetTranslationHandler.php by confirming the code includes an election admin permission check before processing translation changes

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

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

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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-2025-53485 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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