CVE-2019-16738: Mediawiki/core MediaWiki Information Disclosure Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-7hwr-f745-5rwq
Share
CVSS 5.3
CWE-862 CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-16738 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) mediawiki information disclosure vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting Mediawiki/core libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves mediawiki information disclosure. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.31.4, 1.32.4, 1.33.1.

CVE-2019-16738 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-16738
GHSA Identifier GHSA-7hwr-f745-5rwq
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Affected Product Mediawiki/core
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-16738

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Mediawiki/core dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

mediawiki/core fixed: 1.31.4 
Upgrade mediawiki/core to 1.31.4
mediawiki/core fixed: 1.32.4 
Upgrade mediawiki/core to 1.32.4
mediawiki/core fixed: 1.33.1 
Upgrade mediawiki/core to 1.33.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for mediawiki/core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2019-16738, inspect your project dependencies for Mediawiki/core:

inspect dependencies for mediawiki/core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mediawiki/core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.31.4), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In Mediawiki/core, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In MediaWiki through 1.33.0, Special:Redirect allows information disclosure of suppressed usernames via a User ID Lookup.

CVE-2019-16738 Affected Mediawiki/core Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.31.41.32.41.33.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mediawiki/core
 Packagist
≥ 1.31.0
< 1.31.4
1.31.4
mediawiki/core
 Packagist
≥ 1.32.0
< 1.32.4
1.32.4
mediawiki/core
 Packagist
≥ 1.33.0
< 1.33.1
1.33.1

References

NVD — CVE-2019-16738 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16738
Mediawiki/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/mediawiki/core/CVE-2019-16738.yaml
Mediawiki/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/wikimedia/mediawiki
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7OMG3BMUHGWTAPYTK2NXM6CXF6FYLOUO
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QBAOLXETM5BOYQG6OQVHGB2LNLZUXVN6
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7OMG3BMUHGWTAPYTK2NXM6CXF6FYLOUO
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QBAOLXETM5BOYQG6OQVHGB2LNLZUXVN6
phabricator.wikimedia.org/t230402 WEB
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T230402
seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/oct/32 WEB
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/32
Mediawiki/core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4545

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-16738?
CVE-2019-16738 is a security vulnerability in Mediawiki/core involving MediaWiki information disclosure under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Which Mediawiki/core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.31.4, 1.32.4, 1.33.1 across affected packages: mediawiki/core.
What version fixes CVE-2019-16738?
Upgrading to 1.31.4, 1.32.4, 1.33.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mediawiki/core affected?
Yes, mediawiki/core is affected in releases prior to 1.31.4, 1.32.4, 1.33.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.31.4, 1.32.4, 1.33.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-16738?
CVE-2019-16738 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-16738?
CVE-2019-16738 is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization (The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2019-16738?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for mediawiki/core'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-7hwr-f745-5rwq",
  "modified" : "2024-05-15T22:50:11Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:56:57Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-16738" ],
  "summary" : "MediaWiki information disclosure",
  "details" : "In MediaWiki through 1.33.0, Special:Redirect allows information disclosure of suppressed usernames via a User ID Lookup.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mediawiki/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.31.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.31.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mediawiki/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.32.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.32.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mediawiki/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.33.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.33.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16738"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/mediawiki/core/CVE-2019-16738.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wikimedia/mediawiki"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7OMG3BMUHGWTAPYTK2NXM6CXF6FYLOUO"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QBAOLXETM5BOYQG6OQVHGB2LNLZUXVN6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7OMG3BMUHGWTAPYTK2NXM6CXF6FYLOUO"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QBAOLXETM5BOYQG6OQVHGB2LNLZUXVN6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T230402"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/32"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4545"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-05-15T22:50:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-09-26T02:15:00Z"
  }
}