CVE-2023-50721
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in XWiki Platform allows authenticated users to inject malicious XWiki syntax containing script macros through the search administration interface, leading to remote code execution. Any user with page editing permissions (like default profile editing) can exploit this to compromise the entire XWiki instance. Versions from 4.5-rc-1 up to but excluding 14.10.15, 15.5.2, and 15.7-rc-1 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- XWiki Platform
📦 What is this software?
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the XWiki instance with full administrative access, data theft, and potential lateral movement to connected systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized remote code execution leading to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and service disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and output encoding are implemented, though risk remains until patched.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated user access but is straightforward due to improper escaping in the search admin interface.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-7654-vfh6-rw6x
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Upgrade XWiki Platform to version 14.10.15, 15.5.2, or 15.7-rc-1. 2. Restart the XWiki service. 3. Verify the patch is applied by checking the XWiki.SearchAdmin page.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Manual patch application
allApply the necessary escaping fix manually to the XWiki.SearchAdmin page as per the commit.
Apply the changes from commit 62863736d78ffd60d822279c5fb7fb9593042766 to XWiki.SearchAdmin page
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user permissions to edit wiki pages, especially user profiles.
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block suspicious XWiki syntax patterns.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check XWiki version against affected ranges. Review XWiki.SearchAdmin page for proper escaping of id and label fields.Check Version:
Check XWiki administration interface or version file in installation directory.Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm XWiki version is 14.10.15, 15.5.2, or 15.7-rc-1. Verify XWiki.SearchAdmin page includes the escaping fix from the commit.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual Groovy macro executions
- Modifications to XWiki.SearchAdmin page
- Suspicious search admin interface activity
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from XWiki server
- Anomalous HTTP requests to search admin endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="xwiki.log" AND ("Groovy macro" OR "XWiki.SearchAdmin" OR "search administration")🔗 References
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/62863736d78ffd60d822279c5fb7fb9593042766
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-7654-vfh6-rw6x
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21200
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/62863736d78ffd60d822279c5fb7fb9593042766
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-7654-vfh6-rw6x
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21200
