CVE-2025-32972 is a low-severity (CVSS 2.7) CWE-285 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script — see the affected versions and patch details below.
The lesscss script service allows cache clearing without programming right
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-2025-32972.
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-2025-32972 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-lesscss-script☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-scriptReal-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 is a generic wiki platform. In versions starting from 6.1-milestone-1 to before 15.10.12, from 16.0.0-rc-1 to before 16.4.3, and from 16.5.0-rc-1 to before 16.8.0-rc-1, the script API of the LESS compiler in XWiki is incorrectly checking for rights when calling the cache cleaning API, making it possible to clean the cache without having programming right. The only impact of this is a slowdown in XWiki execution as the caches are re-filled. As this vulnerability requires script right to exploit, and script right already allows unlimited execution of scripts, the additional impact due to this vulnerability is low. This issue has been patched in versions 15.10.12, 16.4.3, and 16.8.0-rc-1.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script | ≥ 6.1-milestone-1&&< 15.10.12 | 15.10.12org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script:15.10.12 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script | ≥ 16.0.0-rc-1&&< 16.4.3 | 16.4.3org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script:16.4.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script | ≥ 16.5.0-rc-1&&< 16.8.0-rc-1 | 16.8.0-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script:16.8.0-rc-1 |
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-lesscss-script, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-lesscss-script to 15.10.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-32972 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-2025-32972 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2025-32972. 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-2025-32972 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2025-32972 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.