CVE-2022-36090 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) CWE-285 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore — see the affected versions and patch details below.
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore Improper Authorization check for inactive users
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-36090.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-36090 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcoreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
XWiki Platform Old Core is a core package for XWiki Platform, a generic wiki platform. Prior to versions 13.1.0.5 and 14.3-rc-1, some resources are missing a check for inactive (not yet activated or disabled) users in XWiki, including the REST service. This means a disabled user can enable themselves using a REST call. On the same way some resources handler created by extensions are not protected by default, so an inactive user could perform actions for such extensions. This issue has existed since at least version 1.1 of XWiki for instance configured with the email activation required for new users. Now it's more critical for versions 11.3-rc-1 and later since the maintainers provided the capability to disable user without deleting them and encouraged using that feature. XWiki 14.3-rc-1 and XWiki 13.10.5 contain a patch. There is no workaround for this other than upgrading XWiki.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 1.1&&< 13.10.5 | 13.10.5org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore:13.10.5 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 14.0&&< 14.3-rc-1 | 14.3-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore:14.3-rc-1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore to 13.10.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-36090 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2022-36090 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2022-36090. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-36090 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2022-36090 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.