CVE-2023-46244: XWiki Platform privilege escalation from script right to programming right through title displayer

Should you act?

Critical, preconditions apply

Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. 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 0.8%, percentile 56: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.8% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 56% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs an account (high (admin)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-display-api (Maven) >= 3.2-milestone-3, < 14.10.7, fixed in 14.10.7; org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-display-api (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 for a user to write a script in which any velocity content is executed with the right of any other document content author. Since this API require programming right and the user does not have it, the expected result is $doc.document.authors.contentAuthor (not executed script), unfortunately with the security vulnerability it is possible for the attacker to get XWiki.superadmin which shows that the title was executed with the right of the unmodified document. This has been patched in XWiki versions 14.10.7 and 15.2RC1. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

From the GitHub advisory

Impact

In XWiki Platform, it's possible for a user to write a script in which any velocity content is executed with the right of any other document content author.

To reproduce:

As a user with script but not programming right, create a document with the following content:

Since this API require programming right and the user does not have it, the expected result is $doc.document.authors.contentAuthor (not executed script), unfortunately with the security vulnerability we get XWiki.superadmin which shows that the title was executed with the right of the unmodified document.

Weakness type: CWE-863.

Product: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-display-api (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: high (admin)
• User interaction: none
• 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): 0.79% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 56.

Timeline

• 2023-11-07 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2023-11-07 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-rmxw-c48h-2vf5 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-rmxw-c48h-2vf5 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2023-46244 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2023-46244 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

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

Critical Maven advisories · Today’s Security Digest