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CVE-2025-53485: Unauthenticated User Access to Election-related Data in MediaWiki’s SecurePoll Extension

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Overview

The vulnerability, CVE-2025-53485, is a critical flaw that allows unauthenticated users to manipulate election-related translation text in MediaWiki’s SecurePoll extension. This could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage, impacting the integrity of the election process in the MediaWiki platform.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-53485
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

MediaWiki SecurePoll extension | 1.39.X before 1.39.13
MediaWiki SecurePoll extension | 1.42.X before 1.42.7
MediaWiki SecurePoll extension | 1.43.X before 1.43.2

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability emerges from the lack of validation in SetTranslationHandler.php. This flaw allows even unauthenticated users to change election-related translation text. This could potentially allow an attacker to manipulate election data or leak sensitive information.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a sample HTTP POST request that changes the translation text in the SecurePoll extension.

POST /wiki/api.php?action=securepoll-translate&message=electionName&translation=NewTranslation HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
{ "malicious_payload": "..." }

In this example, the `electionName` is being changed to `NewTranslation` without requiring any authentication. This could potentially allow an attacker to manipulate election names or other related data, causing significant disruption and potential compromise.

Mitigation

Users of the affected versions of MediaWiki’s SecurePoll extension should upgrade to the latest patched versions immediately. If upgrading is not an immediate option, use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.

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