CVE-2023-36470 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) CWE-74 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Code injection in icon themes of 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.
- 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-2023-36470.
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-2023-36470 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-icon-default☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-uiReal-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. By either creating a new or editing an existing document with an icon set, an attacker can inject XWiki syntax and Velocity code that is executed with programming rights and thus allows remote code execution. There are different attack vectors, the simplest is the Velocity code in the icon set's HTML or XWiki syntax definition. The icon picker can be used to trigger the rendering of any icon set. The XWiki syntax variant of the icon set is also used without any escaping in some documents, allowing to inject XWiki syntax including script macros into a document that might have programming right, for this the currently used icon theme needs to be edited. Further, the HTML output of the icon set is output as JSON in the icon picker and this JSON is interpreted as XWiki syntax, allowing again the injection of script macros into a document with programming right and thus allowing remote code execution. This impacts the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki instance. This issue has been patched in XWiki 14.10.6 and 15.1. Icon themes now require script right and the code in the icon theme is executed within the context of the icon theme, preventing any rights escalation. A macro for displaying icons has been introduced to avoid injecting the raw wiki syntax of an icon set into another document. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default | ≥ 6.2-milestone-1&&< 14.10.6 | 14.10.6org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default:14.10.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script | ≥ 6.2-milestone-1&&< 14.10.6 | 14.10.6org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script:14.10.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script | ≥ 15.0-rc-1&&< 15.2-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script:15.2-rc-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default | ≥ 15.0-rc-1&&< 15.2-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default:15.2-rc-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui | ≥ 6.2-milestone-1&&< 14.10.6 | 14.10.6org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui:14.10.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui | ≥ 15.0-rc-1&&< 15.2-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui:15.2-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-platform-icon-default, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default to 14.10.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-36470 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-2023-36470 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-36470. 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-2023-36470 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-36470 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.