How severe is CVE-2015-2942?

CVE-2015-2942 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.1, rated high severity.

Is CVE-2015-2942 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-2942?

CVE-2015-2942 primarily affects Mediawiki. In total, 49 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-2942?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-2942 published?

CVE-2015-2942 was published on 2015-04-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-2942

CVE-2015-2942 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mediawiki with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-399.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 2.0 base score 7.1)
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (85th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-399
Affected product: Mediawiki
Published: 2015-04-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

MediaWiki before 1.19.24, 1.2x before 1.23.9, and 1.24.x before 1.24.2, when using HHVM, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) via a large number of nested entity references in an (1) SVG file or (2) XMP metadata in a PDF file, aka a "billion laughs attack," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2937.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-2942?: MediaWiki before 1.19.24, 1.2x before 1.23.9, and 1.24.x before 1.24.2, when using HHVM, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) via a large number of nested entity references in an (1) SVG file or (2) XMP metadata in a PDF file, aka a "billion laughs attack," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2937.
How severe is CVE-2015-2942?: CVE-2015-2942 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.1, rated high severity.
Is CVE-2015-2942 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2015-2942?: CVE-2015-2942 primarily affects Mediawiki. In total, 49 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-2942?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2015-2942 published?: CVE-2015-2942 was published on 2015-04-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (49)

cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.20.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.21.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.22.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.23.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mediawiki:mediawiki:1.23.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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