CVE-2024-37899: XWiki Platform allows remote code execution from user account

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.

• Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
• EPSS 0.7%, percentile 52: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 52% of all scored CVEs (moderate). 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-oldcore (Maven) >= 13.4.7, < 13.5, fixed in 14.10.21; org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (Maven) >= 13.10.3, < 14.10.21, fixed in 14.10.21; org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (Maven) >= 15.0-rc-1, < 15.5.5, fixed in 15.5.5; org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (Maven) >= 15.6-rc-1, < 15.10.6, fixed in 15.10.6. 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. When an admin disables a user account, the user's profile is executed with the admin's rights. This allows a user to place malicious code in the user profile before getting an admin to disable the user account. To reproduce, as a user without script nor programming rights, edit the about section of your user profile and add {{groovy}}services.logging.getLogger("attacker").error("Hello from Groovy!"){{/groovy}}. As an admin, go to the user profile and click the "Disable this account" button. Then, reload the page. If the logs show attacker - Hello from Groovy! then the instance is vulnerable. This has been patched in XWiki 14.10.21, 15.5.5, 15.10.6 and 16.0.0. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability. Workarounds We're not aware of any workaround except upgrading. References https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21611 https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/f89c8f47fad6e5cc7e68c69a7e0acde07f5eed5a

From the GitHub advisory

Impact When an admin disables a user account, the user's profile is executed with the admin's rights. This allows a user to place malicious code in the user profile before getting an admin to disable the user account.

To reproduce, as a user without script nor programming rights, edit the about section of your user profile and add {{groovy}}services.logging.getLogger("attacker").error("Hello from Groovy!"){{/groovy}}. As an admin, go to the user profile and click the "Disable this account" button. Then, reload the page. If the logs show attacker - Hello from Groovy! then the instance is vulnerable.

Patches This has been patched in XWiki 14.10.21, 15.5.5, 15.10.6 and 16.0.0.

Workarounds We're not aware of any workaround except upgrading.

References https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21611 https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/f89c8f47fad6e5cc7e68c69a7e0acde07f5eed5a

Weakness type: CWE-94, CWE-266.

Product: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (Maven) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2024-06-20

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: low (any account)
• 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 poc, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.69% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 52.

Timeline

• 2024-06-20 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2024-06-20 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-j584-j2vj-3f93 published (critical)
• 2024-08-13 — 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-j584-j2vj-3f93 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2024-37899 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2024-37899 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
4. github.com github.com
5. github.com github.com
6. github.com github.com
7. github.com github.com

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