How severe is CVE-2023-45136?

CVE-2023-45136 has a CVSS score of 9.6/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-45136?

CVE-2023-45136 affects the following packages: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates (Maven), org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2023-45136?

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-2023-45136 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-45136 in my Maven dependencies?

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.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-45136 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is CVE-2023-45136 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2023-45136, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-45136?

CVE-2023-45136 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 5.4%, placing it in the 93th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2023-45136?

CVE-2023-45136 is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2023-45136?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2023-45136, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2023-45136 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-45136 was published on October 25, 2023 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

CRITICAL severity

CVE-2023-45136 — xwiki-platform-web-templa…

CRITICALFix: xwiki/xwiki-platform@ba56fda

CVE-2023-45136 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.6) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, 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 web templates vulnerable to reflected XSS in the create document form if name validation is enabled

Also known asGHSA-qcj9-gcpg-4w2w

Published

Oct 25, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 26, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

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-2023-45136.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

5.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk+0.26%

Lower risk than most CVEs93th percentile — riskier than 93% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

2 pkgs affected

☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates

Real-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

When document names are validated according to a name strategy (disabled by default), XWiki is vulnerable to a reflected XSS attack in the page creation form. To reproduce, make sure that "Validate names before saving" is enabled in the administration under "Editing" -> "Name strategies" and then open <xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/create/Main/%3Cscript%3Ealert%28%27Test%20Test%20Test%20Test%20Test%27%29%3C%2Fscript%3E where <xwiki-host> is the URL of your XWiki installation. This displays an alert if the installation is vulnerable. 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.

Patches

This has been patched in XWiki 14.10.12 and 15.5-RC-1 by adding 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.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates`	≥ 12.0-rc-1&&< 14.10.12	14.10.12`org.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-1`org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:15.5-rc-1`

Affected Products

1 product · 3 configurations

Application

xwikixwiki

≥ 15.0 && < 15.5

1 version

15.5

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for …

jira.xwiki.orgNVDNov 2023

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
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-2023-45136 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-2023-45136

A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:

nuclei -id cve-2023-45136 -u https://target

Template: XWiki < 14.10.14 - Cross-Site Scripting
Severity: medium
Impact: Successful exploitation could lead to cross-site scripting attack.
Remediation: This has been patched in XWiki 14.10.12 and 15.5-rc-1 by adding appropriate escaping.

Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (ritikchaddha), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact When document names are validated according to a name strategy (disabled by default), XWiki is vulnerable to a reflected XSS attack in the page creation form. To reproduce, make sure that "Validate names before saving" is enabled in the administration under "Editing" -> "Name strategies" and then open `<xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/create/Main/%3Cscript%3Ealert%28%27Test%20Test%20Test%20Test%20Test%27%29%3C%2Fscript%3E` where `<xwiki-host>` is the URL of your XWiki installation. This displays an alert if the installation is vulnerable. This allows an attacker to execute arbitrary actions w