CVE-2023-45134 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates — see the affected versions and patch details below.
XWiki Platform XSS vulnerability from account in the create page form via template provider
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-2023-45134.
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-2023-45134 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-platform-web-templates☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-web-standard☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-webReal-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
An attacker can create a template provider on any document that is part of the wiki (could be the attacker's user profile) that contains malicious code. This code is executed when this template provider is selected during document creation which can be triggered by sending the user to a URL. For the attacker, the only requirement is to have an account as by default the own user profile is editable. This allows an attacker to execute arbitrary actions with the rights of the user opening the malicious link. Depending on the rights of the user, this may allow remote code execution and full read and write access to the whole XWiki installation.
For reproduction, the following steps can be used:
- As a simple user with no script right, edit the user profile with the object editor and add an object of type "Template Provider Class". Set the name to "My Template", set template to any page on the wiki. In "Creation Restrictions", enter
<img onerror="alert(1)" src="https://www.example.com". Accept the suggestion to add this string in the dropdown. Click "Save & View" - As any user with edit right, open
<xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/create/Main/WebHome?parent=&templateprovider=XWiki.<username>&name=foo&spaceReference=Bar, where<xwiki-host>is the URL of your XWiki installation and<username>is the username of the attacker.
If an alert is displayed, the installation is vulnerable.
Patches
This has been patched in XWiki 14.10.12 and 15.5RC1 by adding the appropriate escaping.
Workarounds
The vulnerable template file createinline.vm is part of XWiki's WAR and can be patched by manually applying the changes from the fix.
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates | all versions | 14.10.12org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:14.10.12 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates | ≥ 15.0-rc-1&&< 15.5-rc-1 | 15.5-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:15.5-rc-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-web-standard | ≥ 2.4-milestone-2&&< 3.1-milestone-1 | 3.1-milestone-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-web-standard:3.1-milestone-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web | ≥ 3.1-milestone-1&&< 13.4-rc-1 | 13.4-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web:13.4-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-web-templates, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates to 14.10.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-45134 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-2023-45134 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-45134. 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-2023-45134 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-45134 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.