Vulnerability discovered in Wikipedia and other websites based on the MediaWiki platform

Security researchers at Check Point have identified a critical vulnerability affecting websites built with the MediaWiki platform. Several wiki sites have been affected, including Wikipedia.org.

According to experts, the vulnerability could be exploited for remote code execution. Cybercriminals could exploit this flaw to gain complete control of the affected server.

The vulnerability affects MediaWiki version 1.8 and later. It is worth noting that for the vulnerability to be successfully exploited, a specific, non-default setting must be enabled.

Fortunately, Wikimedia quickly addressed the issue after it was reported and issued a related announcement encouraging MediWiki customers to update to the latest version.