CVE-2021-44858 : Security Advisory and Response

CVE-2021-44858 is an issue discovered in MediaWiki that affects versions before 1.35.5, 1.36.3, and 1.37.1. The vulnerability allows unauthorized access to private pages on a private wiki.

Understanding CVE-2021-44858

What is CVE-2021-44858?

The vulnerability in MediaWiki versions before 1.35.5, 1.36.3, and 1.37.1 enables attackers to view private pages on a private wiki by exploiting certain actions.

The Impact of CVE-2021-44858

The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information on private wikis.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-44858

Vulnerability Description

The issue allows exploitation of actions 'mcrundo' and 'mcrrestore' after using 'edit&undo', exposing private pages.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: n/a
Product: n/a
Versions Affected: n/a
Status: Affected

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can use specific actions in a sequence to bypass restrictions and access private pages on vulnerable wikis.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade MediaWiki to version 1.35.5, 1.36.3, or 1.37.1
Review and restrict access permissions to private pages

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit wiki access logs
Implement multi-factor authentication for enhanced security

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches provided by MediaWiki to mitigate the vulnerability.