CVE-2023-26474 — xwiki-platform-oldcore
CRITICALCVE-2023-26474 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) CWE-284 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore — see the affected versions and patch details below.
XWiki Platform vulnerable to privilege escalation via properties with wiki syntax that are executed with wrong author
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-26474.
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-2023-26474 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 377,636 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-legacy-oldcore☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-oldcore☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-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
Impact
It's possible to use the right of an existing document content author to execute a text area property.
To reproduce:
- As an admin with programming rights, create a new user without script or programming right.
- Login with the freshly created user.
- Insert the following text in source mode in the about section:
{{groovy}}println("hello from groovy!"){{/groovy}}
- Click "Save & View"
Patches
This has been patched in XWiki 14.10, 14.4.7, and 13.10.11.
Workarounds
No known workaround.
References
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20373
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira
- Email us at Security ML
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 13.10&&< 13.10.11 | 13.10.11org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore:13.10.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-oldcore | ≥ 13.10&&< 13.10.11 | 13.10.11org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-oldcore:13.10.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 14.0&&< 14.4.7 | 14.4.7org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore:14.4.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-oldcore | ≥ 14.0&&< 14.4.7 | 14.4.7org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-oldcore:14.4.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 14.5&&< 14.10 | 14.10org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore:14.10 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-oldcore | ≥ 14.5&&< 14.10 | 14.10org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-oldcore:14.10 |
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 13.10.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-26474 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-2023-26474 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-26474. 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-2023-26474 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-26474 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.