XWiki Rendering's footnote macro vulnerable to privilege escalation via the footnote macroGHSA-35j5-m29r-xfq5
HIGHFix: xwiki/xwiki-rendering@5f558b8GHSA-35j5-m29r-xfq5 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-270 vulnerability in org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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 GHSA-35j5-m29r-xfq5.
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.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes☕org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-footnotesReal-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
The footnote macro executed its content in a potentially different context than the one in which it was defined. In particular in combination with the include macro, this allows privilege escalation from a simple user account in XWiki to programming rights and thus remote code execution, impacting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki installation.
To reproduce, perform the following steps:
- Edit your user profile with the object editor and add an object of type DocumentSheetBinding with value XWiki.ClassSheet
- Edit your user profile with the wiki editor and add the syntax
{{footnote}}{{groovy}}println("Hello " + "from groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/footnote}}
When the text "Hello from groovy!" is displayed at the bottom of the document, the installation is vulnerable. Instead, an error should be displayed.
Patches
This vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 14.10.6 and 15.1-rc-1.
Workarounds
There is no workaround apart from upgrading to a fixed version of the footnote macro.
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes | all versions | 14.10.6org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes:14.10.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes | ≥ 15.0-rc-1&&< 15.1-rc-1 | 15.1-rc-1org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes:15.1-rc-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-footnotes | all versions | 14.10.6org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-footnotes:14.10.6 |
Affected Products
xwiki-renderingxwikiResearch 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.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-macro-footnotes to 14.10.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-35j5-m29r-xfq5 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-35j5-m29r-xfq5 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.