CVE-2023-29141: Mediawiki/core X-Forwarded-For Header Allows Brute-forcing Autoblocked Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5vj8-g3qg-4qh6
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-444
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-29141 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) x-forwarded-for header allows brute-forcing autoblocked vulnerability (CWE-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling')) affecting Mediawiki/core libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves x-forwarded-for header allows brute-forcing autoblocked ip addresses. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.39.3, 1.38.6, 1.35.10.

CVE-2023-29141 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-29141
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5vj8-g3qg-4qh6
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling')
Affected Product Mediawiki/core
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-29141

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: 1.39.3 
Upgrade mediawiki/core to 1.39.3
mediawiki/core fixed: 1.38.6 
Upgrade mediawiki/core to 1.38.6
mediawiki/core fixed: 1.35.10 
Upgrade mediawiki/core to 1.35.10
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-2023-29141, 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 1.39.3), 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-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling'), where the product acts as an intermediary http agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed http requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination. 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

An issue was discovered in MediaWiki before 1.35.10, 1.36.x through 1.38.x before 1.38.6, and 1.39.x before 1.39.3. An auto-block can occur for an untrusted X-Forwarded-For header.

CVE-2023-29141 Affected Mediawiki/core Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.39.31.38.61.35.10
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mediawiki/core
 Packagist
≥ 1.39.0
< 1.39.3
1.39.3
mediawiki/core
 Packagist
≥ 1.38.0
< 1.38.6
1.38.6
mediawiki/core
 Packagist
< 1.35.10
1.35.10

References

NVD — CVE-2023-29141 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29141
gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/plugins/gitiles/m... WEB
https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/plugins/gitiles/mediawiki/core/+/REL1_39/RELEASE-NOTES-1.39
Mediawiki/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/wikimedia/mediawiki
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00029.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ONWHGOBFD6CQAEGOP5O375XAP2N6RUHT
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZGK4NZPIJ5ET2ANRZOUYPCRIB5I64JR7
phabricator.wikimedia.org/t285159 WEB
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T285159
Mediawiki/core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5447
www.mediawiki.org/wiki/release_notes/... WEB
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.35#MediaWiki_1.35.10
www.mediawiki.org/wiki/release_notes/... WEB
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.38#MediaWiki_1.38.6
www.mediawiki.org/wiki/release_notes/... WEB
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.39#MediaWiki_1.39.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-29141?
CVE-2023-29141 is a security vulnerability in Mediawiki/core involving X-Forwarded-For header allows brute-forcing autoblocked IP addresses under CWE-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling').
Which Mediawiki/core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.39.3, 1.38.6, 1.35.10 across affected packages: mediawiki/core.
What version fixes CVE-2023-29141?
Upgrading to 1.39.3, 1.38.6, 1.35.10 (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 1.39.3, 1.38.6, 1.35.10. Upgrade your dependency to 1.39.3, 1.38.6, 1.35.10 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-29141?
CVE-2023-29141 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-29141?
CVE-2023-29141 is classified under CWE-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling') (The product acts as an intermediary HTTP agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed HTTP requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-29141?
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-5vj8-g3qg-4qh6",
  "modified" : "2024-11-01T22:02:38Z",
  "published" : "2023-03-31T21:30:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-29141" ],
  "summary" : "X-Forwarded-For header allows brute-forcing autoblocked IP addresses",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in MediaWiki before 1.35.10, 1.36.x through 1.38.x before 1.38.6, and 1.39.x before 1.39.3. An auto-block can occur for an untrusted X-Forwarded-For header.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mediawiki/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.39.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.39.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mediawiki/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.38.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.38.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mediawiki/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.35.10"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29141"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/plugins/gitiles/mediawiki/core/+/REL1_39/RELEASE-NOTES-1.39"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wikimedia/mediawiki"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00029.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ONWHGOBFD6CQAEGOP5O375XAP2N6RUHT"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZGK4NZPIJ5ET2ANRZOUYPCRIB5I64JR7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T285159"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5447"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.35#MediaWiki_1.35.10"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.38#MediaWiki_1.38.6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.39#MediaWiki_1.39.3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-444" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-11-01T22:02:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-03-31T19:15:00Z"
  }
}