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CVE Record

CVE-2021-35197: In MediaWiki before 1.31.15, 1.32.x through 1.35.x before 1.35.3, and 1.36.x before 1.36.1, bots have certa...

In MediaWiki before 1.31.15, 1.32.x through 1.35.x before 1.35.3, and 1.36.x before 1.36.1, bots have certain unintended API access. When a bot account has a "sitewide block" applied, it is able to still "purge" pages through the MediaWiki Action API (which a "sitewide block" should have prevented).

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysislow

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

MediaWiki had an authorization flaw where a bot account blocked across the site could still use the Action API to purge pages. This weakens administrative controls but is not described as data theft or remote code execution. Priority depends on whether the organization runs affected MediaWiki versions with bot accounts.

Executive priority

Handle during normal vulnerability remediation, with higher urgency for internet-facing MediaWiki sites that use bots. This is an access-control defect, but available evidence does not show code execution, data breach, or confirmed active exploitation.

Technical view

CVE-2021-35197 affects MediaWiki before 1.31.15, 1.32.x through 1.35.x before 1.35.3, and 1.36.x before 1.36.1. A sitewide-blocked bot account could still perform page purge actions through the Action API, bypassing the intended effect of the block.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to MediaWiki deployments in the affected version ranges, especially public or collaborative wikis that use bot accounts and sitewide blocks. The provided record lists no CPEs and no CVSS score, so asset inventory must confirm versions directly.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not state active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Abuse appears to require a bot account that exists and has a sitewide block, then targets purge capability rather than broader administrative access.

Researcher notes

The record is narrow: unintended API purge access by sitewide-blocked bots. Severity metadata is incomplete, with no CVSS or CWE supplied. Avoid expanding impact beyond purge behavior unless local testing or vendor notes show additional blocked API actions.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade MediaWiki to 1.31.15, 1.35.3, 1.36.1, or later supported versions.
  • Apply Debian, Gentoo, or Fedora MediaWiki security updates where those packages are used.
  • Review Wikimedia and distribution advisories for exact fixed package versions.
  • Do not rely on sitewide blocks alone to stop affected bot purge activity before patching.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory MediaWiki versions and compare them with the affected ranges.
  • Confirm distribution package updates match the cited Debian, Gentoo, or Fedora advisories.
  • Review API logs for purge activity by sitewide-blocked bot accounts.
  • In staging, verify blocked bot accounts cannot purge after updating.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
8

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
9Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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