CVE-2025-55727
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-55727 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in XWiki Remote Macros that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The vulnerability affects any user who can edit pages or access the CKEditor converter in XWiki instances with the vulnerable macro installed. Successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- XWiki Remote Macros
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover with administrative privileges, data exfiltration, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Unauthorized code execution with the privileges of the XWiki process, potentially leading to data theft, privilege escalation, and further compromise of the wiki environment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, minimal user privileges, and macro installation restrictions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user authentication with edit permissions or CKEditor converter access. The vulnerability is straightforward to exploit once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.26.5
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/xwikisas/xwiki-pro-macros/security/advisories/GHSA-hxqp-983c-m8h9
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update XWiki Remote Macros to version 1.26.5 or later. 2. Restart the XWiki application server. 3. Verify the update was successful by checking the macro version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Column Macro
allRemove or disable the vulnerable column macro from XWiki installations
Navigate to XWiki administration panel > Extensions > Uninstall or disable the Remote Macros extension
Restrict User Permissions
allTemporarily restrict edit permissions and CKEditor converter access to trusted users only
Modify XWiki rights settings to limit page editing and macro usage
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate XWiki instances from critical systems
- Apply principle of least privilege to all user accounts and disable unnecessary macro functionality
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the XWiki Remote Macros extension version in the XWiki administration panel under ExtensionsCheck Version:
Check XWiki administration panel > Extensions > Remote Macros versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm the extension version is 1.26.5 or later and test that the width parameter in column macros is properly escaped📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual macro usage patterns
- Suspicious width parameter values in column macros
- Unexpected Velocity code execution
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from XWiki server
- Unexpected file transfers
SIEM Query:
Search for 'column macro' AND 'width' parameter anomalies in XWiki application logs🔗 References
- https://github.com/xwikisas/xwiki-pro-macros/blob/aed17fa3db4081846dbb6bdf76ba10cf44401c44/xwiki-pro-macros-ui/src/main/resources/Confluence/Macros/Column.xml#L438
- https://github.com/xwikisas/xwiki-pro-macros/commit/05651adb4b58d03ba862d5290c645feeffd2121b
- https://github.com/xwikisas/xwiki-pro-macros/security/advisories/GHSA-hxqp-983c-m8h9
- https://github.com/xwikisas/xwiki-pro-macros/security/advisories/GHSA-hxqp-983c-m8h9
