CVE-2021-25986: Wiki Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3m3h-v9hv-9j4h
CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-25986 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Wiki libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in django-wiki. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.7.9.

CVE-2021-25986 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-25986
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3m3h-v9hv-9j4h
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Wiki
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-25986

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

wiki fixed: 0.7.9
pip install wiki>=0.7.9
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

pip show wiki

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2021-25986, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show wiki

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Wiki in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.7.9), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show wiki command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Wiki, 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 Django-wiki, versions 0.0.20 to 0.7.8 are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in Notifications Section. An attacker who has access to edit pages can inject JavaScript payload in the title field. When a victim gets a notification regarding the changes made in the application, the payload in the notification panel renders and loads external JavaScript.

CVE-2021-25986 Affected Wiki Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.7.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
wiki
PyPI
≥ 0.0.20
< 0.7.9
0.7.9

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-25986?
CVE-2021-25986 is a security vulnerability in Wiki involving Cross-site Scripting in django-wiki under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Wiki versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.7.9 across affected packages: wiki.
What version fixes CVE-2021-25986?
Upgrading to 0.7.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is wiki affected?
Yes, wiki is affected in releases prior to 0.7.9. Upgrade your dependency to 0.7.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-25986?
CVE-2021-25986 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-25986?
CVE-2021-25986 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2021-25986?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show wiki'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3m3h-v9hv-9j4h",
  "modified" : "2024-11-19T18:27:32Z",
  "published" : "2021-12-02T17:49:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-25986" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site Scripting in django-wiki",
  "details" : "In Django-wiki, versions 0.0.20 to 0.7.8 are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in Notifications Section. An attacker who has access to edit pages can inject JavaScript payload in the title field. When a victim gets a notification regarding the changes made in the application, the payload in the notification panel renders and loads external JavaScript.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "wiki"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.0.20"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.7.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25986"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django-wiki/django-wiki/pull/1148"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django-wiki/django-wiki/commit/9eaccc7519e4206a4d2f22640882f0737b2da9c5"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django-wiki/django-wiki"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/wiki/PYSEC-2021-850.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pypi.org/project/wiki"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-database/CVE-2021-25986"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-11-24T20:01:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-11-23T20:15:00Z"
  }
}