Citizen vulnerable to Stored XSS through short descriptions
The advisory, in context
Summary
Short descriptions set via the ShortDescription extension are inserted as raw HTML by the Citizen skin, allowing any user to insert arbitrary HTML into the DOM by editing a page.
Details
The shortdesc property, which contains unsanitized user input, is retrieved from the OutputPage and returned as the tagline:
https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen/blob/0d8a44011e02a081618359a1e90f462478e807aa/includes/Components/CitizenComponentPageHeading.php#L249-L251
The tagline is then provided to the template data:
https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen/blob/0d8a44011e02a081618359a1e90f462478e807aa/includes/Components/CitizenComponentPageHeading.php#L270-L275
The template then inserts the tagline into raw HTML without doing any escaping:
https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen/blob/0d8a44011e02a081618359a1e90f462478e807aa/templates/PageHeading.mustache#L12
PoC
- Enable Citizen and ShortDescription
- Add
{{SHORTDESC:<img src="" onerror="alert('citizen shortdescription xss')">}}to a page - Visit the page
Impact
Arbitrary HTML can be inserted into the DOM by any user, allowing for JavaScript to be executed.
Affected packages
Start with the recorded fix for your release branch. Check your installed version and test compatibility before upgrading. Fixing this advisory does not rule out other vulnerabilities in the release.
From 1.9.4 before 3.4.0
Fixed in 3.4.0
133 explicitly affected versions
v1.10.0, v1.13.0, v1.14.0, v1.14.1, v1.15.0, v1.16.0, v1.16.1, v1.17.0, v1.17.1, v1.17.2, v1.17.3, v1.17.4, v1.17.5, v1.17.6, v1.17.7, v1.17.8, v1.17.9, v1.9.4, v1.9.5, v2.0.0, v2.0.0-alpha.0, v2.0.0-alpha.1, v2.0.0-alpha.2, v2.0.0-beta.0, v2.0.0-beta.1, v2.0.0-beta.2, v2.0.0-beta.3, v2.0.0-beta.4, v2.0.1, v2.1.0, v2.10.0, v2.10.1, v2.11.0, v2.11.1, v2.12.0, v2.13.0, v2.13.1, v2.13.2, v2.13.3, v2.13.4, v2.13.5, v2.14.0, v2.14.1, v2.15.0, v2.15.1, v2.16.0, v2.16.1, v2.17.0, v2.17.1, v2.17.2, v2.18.0, v2.18.1, v2.19.0, v2.2.0, v2.20.0, v2.21.0, v2.22.0, v2.22.1, v2.23.0, v2.24.0, v2.25.0, v2.26.0, v2.27.0, v2.28.0, v2.29.0, v2.3.0, v2.3.1, v2.3.2, v2.3.3, v2.3.4, v2.3.5, v2.3.6, v2.30.0, v2.31.0, v2.32.0, v2.33.0, v2.34.0, v2.35.0, v2.36.0, v2.37.0, v2.38.0, v2.38.1, v2.38.2, v2.38.3, v2.39.0, v2.39.1, v2.39.2, v2.39.3, v2.39.4, v2.4.0, v2.4.1, v2.4.2, v2.4.3, v2.4.4, v2.40.0, v2.40.1, v2.40.2, v2.5.0, v2.5.1, v2.5.2, v2.6.0, v2.6.1, v2.6.2, v2.6.3, v2.6.4, v2.6.5, v2.6.6, v2.7.0, v2.7.1, v2.7.10, v2.7.11, v2.7.2, v2.7.3, v2.7.4, v2.7.5, v2.7.6, v2.7.7, v2.7.8, v2.7.9, v2.8.0, v2.8.1, v2.8.2, v2.8.3, v2.8.4, v2.8.5, v2.9.0, v2.9.1, v3.0.0, v3.1.0, v3.2.0, v3.3.0, v3.3.1, v3.3.2
View affected-version evidence
{
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "1.9.4"
},
{
"fixed": "3.4.0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"v1.10.0",
"v1.13.0",
"v1.14.0",
"v1.14.1",
"v1.15.0",
"v1.16.0",
"v1.16.1",
"v1.17.0",
"v1.17.1",
"v1.17.2",
"v1.17.3",
"v1.17.4",
"v1.17.5",
"v1.17.6",
"v1.17.7",
"v1.17.8",
"v1.17.9",
"v1.9.4",
"v1.9.5",
"v2.0.0",
"v2.0.0-alpha.0",
"v2.0.0-alpha.1",
"v2.0.0-alpha.2",
"v2.0.0-beta.0",
"v2.0.0-beta.1",
"v2.0.0-beta.2",
"v2.0.0-beta.3",
"v2.0.0-beta.4",
"v2.0.1",
"v2.1.0",
"v2.10.0",
"v2.10.1",
"v2.11.0",
"v2.11.1",
"v2.12.0",
"v2.13.0",
"v2.13.1",
"v2.13.2",
"v2.13.3",
"v2.13.4",
"v2.13.5",
"v2.14.0",
"v2.14.1",
"v2.15.0",
"v2.15.1",
"v2.16.0",
"v2.16.1",
"v2.17.0",
"v2.17.1",
"v2.17.2",
"v2.18.0",
"v2.18.1",
"v2.19.0",
"v2.2.0",
"v2.20.0",
"v2.21.0",
"v2.22.0",
"v2.22.1",
"v2.23.0",
"v2.24.0",
"v2.25.0",
"v2.26.0",
"v2.27.0",
"v2.28.0",
"v2.29.0",
"v2.3.0",
"v2.3.1",
"v2.3.2",
"v2.3.3",
"v2.3.4",
"v2.3.5",
"v2.3.6",
"v2.30.0",
"v2.31.0",
"v2.32.0",
"v2.33.0",
"v2.34.0",
"v2.35.0",
"v2.36.0",
"v2.37.0",
"v2.38.0",
"v2.38.1",
"v2.38.2",
"v2.38.3",
"v2.39.0",
"v2.39.1",
"v2.39.2",
"v2.39.3",
"v2.39.4",
"v2.4.0",
"v2.4.1",
"v2.4.2",
"v2.4.3",
"v2.4.4",
"v2.40.0",
"v2.40.1",
"v2.40.2",
"v2.5.0",
"v2.5.1",
"v2.5.2",
"v2.6.0",
"v2.6.1",
"v2.6.2",
"v2.6.3",
"v2.6.4",
"v2.6.5",
"v2.6.6",
"v2.7.0",
"v2.7.1",
"v2.7.10",
"v2.7.11",
"v2.7.2",
"v2.7.3",
"v2.7.4",
"v2.7.5",
"v2.7.6",
"v2.7.7",
"v2.7.8",
"v2.7.9",
"v2.8.0",
"v2.8.1",
"v2.8.2",
"v2.8.3",
"v2.8.4",
"v2.8.5",
"v2.9.0",
"v2.9.1",
"v3.0.0",
"v3.1.0",
"v3.2.0",
"v3.3.0",
"v3.3.1",
"v3.3.2"
]
}References
- https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen/security/advisories/GHSA-prmv-7r8c-794g
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53370
- https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen/commit/aedbceb3380bb48db6b59e272fc187529c71c8ca
- https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen/commit/c85a40bddc8651fff66df83a72debddcb34f0521
- https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen
- https://github.com/StarCitizenTools/mediawiki-skins-Citizen/releases/tag/v3.4.0