GHSA-6w8h-26xx-cf8q is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) CWE-74 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection') in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui
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-6w8h-26xx-cf8q.
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
GHSA-6w8h-26xx-cf8q 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 378,156 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-menu-ui☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-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
Impact
Any user with view rights on commonly accessible documents including the menu macro can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation due to improper escaping of the macro content and parameters of the menu macro.
The issue can be demonstrated by opening <server>/xwiki/bin/view/Main?sheet=CKEditor.HTMLConverter&language=en&sourceSyntax=xwiki%2F2.1&stripHTMLEnvelope=true&fromHTML=false&toHTML=true&text=%7B%7Bmenu%7D%7D%7B%7Bcache+id%3D%22menuMacro%22%7D%7D%7B%7Bgroovy%7D%7Dprintln%28%22Hello+from+Groovy%21%22%29%7B%7B%2Fgroovy%7D%7D%7B%7B%2Fcache%7D%7D%7B%7B%2Fmenu%7D%7D where <server> is the URL of the XWiki installation. If this displays "Hello from Groovy!", the installation is vulnerable.
Patches
The problem has been patched in XWiki 14.6RC1, 13.10.8 and 14.4.3.
Workarounds
The patch for the document Menu.MenuMacro can be manually applied or a XAR archive of a patched version can be imported. The menu macro was basically unchanged since XWiki 11.6 so on XWiki 11.6 or later the patch for version of 13.10.8 can most likely be applied, on XWiki version 14.0 and later the versions in XWiki 14.6 and 14.4.3 should be appropriate.
References
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/2fc20891e6c6b0ca05ee07e315e7f435e8919f8d
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-19857
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira XWiki.org
- Email us at Security Mailing List
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui | all versions | 13.10.8org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui:13.10.8 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui | ≥ 14.0.0&&< 14.4.3 | 14.4.3org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui:14.4.3 |
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-menu-ui, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-menu-ui to 13.10.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-6w8h-26xx-cf8q 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 GHSA-6w8h-26xx-cf8q can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-6w8h-26xx-cf8q. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-6w8h-26xx-cf8q in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-6w8h-26xx-cf8q across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.