---
title: "CVE-2023-50721: Remote code execution from account through SearchAdmin"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2023-50721/
description: "CVE-2023-50721 (org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui (Maven)): XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Starting in 4.5-rc-1 and prior to versions…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2023-12-15
date_modified: 2024-08-02
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2023-50721"
kev: false
cvss: 10
epss: 0.78812
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2023-50721: Remote code execution from account through SearchAdmin

**Signal:** High exploit likelihood. EPSS ranks it in the top 5% of all CVEs for likely exploitation in the next 30 days. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 78.8% , percentile 99.6: FIRST’s model estimates a 78.8% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 99.6% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui (Maven) >= 4.5-rc-1, < 14.10.15, fixed in 14.10.15 ; org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui (Maven) >= 15.0-rc-1, < 15.5.2, fixed in 15.5.2 ; org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui (Maven) >= 15.6-rc-1, < 15.7-rc-1, fixed in 15.7-rc-1 . Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

## What it is

XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Starting in 4.5-rc-1 and prior to versions 14.10.15, 15.5.2, and 15.7-rc-1, the search administration interface doesn't properly escape the id and label of search user interface extensions, allowing the injection of XWiki syntax containing script macros including Groovy macros that allow remote code execution, impacting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki instance. This attack can be executed by any user who can edit some wiki page like the user's profile (editable by default) as user interface extensions that will be displayed in the search administration can be added on any document by any user. The necessary escaping has been added in XWiki 14.10.15, 15.5.2 and 15.7RC1. As a workaround, the patch can be applied manually applied to the page XWiki.SearchAdmin.

## Affected packages

- Maven `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui` >= 4.5-rc-1, < 14.10.15 → fixed: 14.10.15
- Maven `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui` >= 15.0-rc-1, < 15.5.2 → fixed: 15.5.2
- Maven `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui` >= 15.6-rc-1, < 15.7-rc-1 → fixed: 15.7-rc-1

## Affected products (CVE record)

- xwiki xwiki-platform: >= 4.5-rc-1, < 14.10.15, >= 15.0-rc-1, < 15.5.2, >= 15.6-rc-1, < 15.7-rc-1

## Severity

- GitHub_M CVSS 3.1: 10 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`
- GitHub CVSS 3.1: 9.9 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`

## Exploitation

- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 78.81% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 99.6.

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-7654-vfh6-rw6x](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-7654-vfh6-rw6x)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2023-50721](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-50721)
- [NVD entry CVE-2023-50721](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-50721)
- [github.com](https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-7654-vfh6-rw6x)
- [github.com](https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/62863736d78ffd60d822279c5fb7fb9593042766)
- [jira.xwiki.org](https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21200)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2023-50721/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt