CVE-2023-46242: XWiki Platform vulnerable to remote code execution via the edit action because it lacks CSRF token

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.4%, percentile 31: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.4% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 31% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs a user to click or open something. Phishing makes that realistic, but it is not wormable.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (Maven) >= 1.0, < 14.10.7, fixed in 14.10.7; org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (Maven) >= 15.0, < 15.2-rc-1, fixed in 15.2-rc-1. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. In affected versions it's possible to execute a content with the right of any user via a crafted URL. A user must have programming privileges in order to exploit this vulnerability. This issue has been patched in XWiki 14.10.7 and 15.2RC1. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for for this vulnerability.

From the GitHub advisory

Impact

In XWiki Platform, it's possible to execute content with the right of any user if you can make this user follow a crafted URL. This is possible because edit action sets and thereby executes the page content without checking for a cross-site request forgert (CSRF) token.

To reproduce: Get a user with programming rights to visit the URL /xwiki/bin/edit/Main/?content=%7B%7Bgroovy%7D%7Dprintln%28%22Hello+from+Groovy%21%22%29%7B%7B%2Fgroovy%7D%7D&xpage=view, where is the URL of your XWiki installation. This can be done by embedding an image with this URL.

The text "Hello from Groovy!" is displayed in the page content, showing that the Groovy macro has been executed.

Patches

Weakness type: CWE-94, CWE-352.

Product: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (Maven) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2023-11-07

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: required (a user must click/open something)
• Scope: changed (can affect other components)

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.38% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 31.

Timeline

• 2023-11-07 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2023-11-07 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hgpw-6p4h-j6h5 published (critical)
• 2024-09-12 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-hgpw-6p4h-j6h5 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2023-46242 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2023-46242 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. github.com github.com
3. jira.xwiki.org jira.xwiki.org

Critical Maven advisories · Today’s Security Digest