CVE-2023-35156 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.6) CWE-87 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources — see the affected versions and patch details below.
XWiki Platform vulnerable to reflected cross-site scripting via xredirect parameter in delete template
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-2023-35156.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resourcesReal-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
Users are able to forge an URL with a payload allowing to inject Javascript in the page (XSS). It's possible to exploit the delete template to perform a XSS, e.g. by using URL such as:
xwiki/bin/get/FlamingoThemes/Cerulean?xpage=xpart&vm=delete.vm&xredirect=javascript:alert(document.domain)
This vulnerability exists since XWiki 6.0-rc-1.
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 14.10.6 and 15.1. Note that a partial patch has been provided in 14.10.5 but wasn't enough to entirely fix the vulnerability.
Workarounds
It's possible to workaround the vulnerability by editing the template delete.vm to perform checks on it, but note that the appropriate fix involves new APIs that have been recently introduced in XWiki. See the referenced jira tickets.
References
- Jira ticket about the original vulnerability: https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20341
- Commit containing the first fix in the template: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/e80d22d193df364b07bab7925572720f91a8984a
- Jira ticket about the second part of the vulnerability found after 14.10.5: https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20672
- Commits containing the second fix in the template:
- Introduction of the macro used for fixing all those vulnerabilities: https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20583
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
Attribution
This vulnerability has been reported by René de Sain @renniepak.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources | ≥ 6.0-rc-1&&< 14.10.6 | 14.10.6org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources:14.10.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources | ≥ 15.0-rc-0&&< 15.1 | 15.1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources:15.1 |
Affected Products
xwikixwikiDetection & 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-flamingo-skin-resources, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-skin-resources to 14.10.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-35156 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.
How to detect CVE-2023-35156
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2023-35156 -u https://target- Template
- XWiki >= 6.0-rc-1 - Cross-Site Scripting
- Severity
- medium
- Impact
- Successful exploitation could lead to cross-site scripting.
- Remediation
- This vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 14.10.6,15.1.
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-2023-35156 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.