CVE-2023-29506 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.4) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default — see the affected versions and patch details below.
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default XSS with authenticated endpoints
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.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-29506.
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-2023-29506 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 378,567 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-security-authentication-default☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-defaultReal-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 was possible to inject some code using the URL of authenticate endpoints, e.g.:
https://hostname/xwiki/authenticate/wiki/xwiki%22onload=%22alert(origin)%22/resetpassword
This vulnerability was present in recent versions of XWiki:
- 13.10.8+
- 14.4.3+
- 14.6+
Patches
This problem has been patched on XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
Workarounds
There is no easy workaround except to upgrade.
References
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20335
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/1943ea26c967ef868fb5f67c487d98d97cba0380
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira
- Email us at security mailing-list
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default | ≥ 13.10.8&&< 13.10.11 | 13.10.11org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default:13.10.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default | ≥ 14.4.3&&< 14.4.7 | 14.4.7org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default:14.4.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default | ≥ 14.6&&< 14.10 | 14.10org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default: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-security-authentication-default, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-security-authentication-default to 13.10.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-29506 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-2023-29506 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-29506. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
How to detect CVE-2023-29506
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2023-29506 -u https://target- Template
- XWiki >= 13.10.8 - Cross-Site Scripting
- Severity
- medium
- Impact
- Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute malicious scripts in the context of the victim's browser.
- Remediation
- Implement proper input validation and output encoding to prevent XSS attacks in the XWiki application.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (ritikchaddha), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-29506 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-29506 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.