CVE-2023-29520 — xwiki-platform-localizati…
MEDIUMCVE-2023-29520 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.3) CWE-248 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Page render failure due to broken translations in xwiki-platform
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-2023-29520.
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-2023-29520 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 377,333 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-localization-source-wiki☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wikiReal-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 is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. It's possible to break many translations coming from wiki pages by creating a corrupted document containing a translation object. This will lead to a broken page. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 15.0-rc-1, 14.10.1, 14.4.8, and 13.10.11. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no workarounds other than fixing any way to create a document that fail to load.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki | ≥ 4.3-milestone-2&&< 13.10.11 | 13.10.11org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki:13.10.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki | ≥ 14.0-rc-1&&< 14.4.8 | 14.4.8org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki:14.4.8 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki | ≥ 14.5&&< 14.10.1 | 14.10.1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki:14.10.1 |
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-localization-source-wiki, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-localization-source-wiki to 13.10.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-29520 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-2023-29520 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-29520. 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-2023-29520 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-29520 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.