CVE-2021-41800: Mediawiki/core Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c8wv-qwwc-6j73
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-770
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-41800 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Mediawiki/core libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves mediawiki allows a denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.36.2.

CVE-2021-41800 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-41800
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c8wv-qwwc-6j73
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
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:N/I:N/A:L).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2021-41800

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: 1.36.2 
Upgrade mediawiki/core to 1.36.2
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-2021-41800, 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 1.36.2), 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-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, where the product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated. 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

MediaWiki before 1.36.2 allows a denial of service (resource consumption because of lengthy query processing time). Visiting Special:Contributions can sometimes result in a long running SQL query because PoolCounter protection is mishandled.

CVE-2021-41800 Affected Mediawiki/core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.36.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mediawiki/core
 Packagist
< 1.36.2
1.36.2

References

NVD — CVE-2021-41800 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41800
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/wikimedia/mediawiki/commit/781caf83dba90c18349f930bbaaa0e89f003f874
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CJDYJQWT43GBD6GNQ4OW7JOZ6WQ6DZTN
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MDBPECBWN6LWNSWIQMVXK6PP4YFEUYHA
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QNEAI2T3Y65I55ZB6UE6RMC662RZTGRX
lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wik... WEB
https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikitech-l@lists.wikimedia.org/thread/2IFS5CM2YV4VMSODPX3J2LFHKSEWVFV5
phabricator.wikimedia.org/t284419 WEB
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T284419
Mediawiki/core Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202305-24

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-41800?
CVE-2021-41800 is a security vulnerability in Mediawiki/core involving MediaWiki allows a denial of service under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.
Which Mediawiki/core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.36.2 across affected packages: mediawiki/core.
What version fixes CVE-2021-41800?
Upgrading to 1.36.2 (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 1.36.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.36.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-41800?
CVE-2021-41800 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:N/I:N/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-41800?
CVE-2021-41800 is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-41800?
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-c8wv-qwwc-6j73",
  "modified" : "2024-02-01T21:50:08Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:17:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-41800" ],
  "summary" : "MediaWiki allows a denial of service",
  "details" : "MediaWiki before 1.36.2 allows a denial of service (resource consumption because of lengthy query processing time). Visiting Special:Contributions can sometimes result in a long running SQL query because PoolCounter protection is mishandled.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mediawiki/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.36.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41800"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wikimedia/mediawiki/commit/781caf83dba90c18349f930bbaaa0e89f003f874"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CJDYJQWT43GBD6GNQ4OW7JOZ6WQ6DZTN"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MDBPECBWN6LWNSWIQMVXK6PP4YFEUYHA"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QNEAI2T3Y65I55ZB6UE6RMC662RZTGRX"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikitech-l@lists.wikimedia.org/thread/2IFS5CM2YV4VMSODPX3J2LFHKSEWVFV5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T284419"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202305-24"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-02-01T21:50:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-10-11T08:15:00Z"
  }
}