XWiki Platform may allow privilege escalation to programming rights via user's first nameGHSA-8cw6-4r32-6r3h
CRITICALGHSA-8cw6-4r32-6r3h is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) CWE-150 vulnerability in org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml. 3 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-8cw6-4r32-6r3h.
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.commons:xwiki-commons-xml☕org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml☕org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xmlReal-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 can edit his own profile and inject code which is going to be executed with programming right.
Steps to reproduce:
- Set your first name to
{{cache id="userProfile"}}{{groovy}}println("Hello from groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/cache}}
The first name appears as interpreted "Hello from groovy" instead of the expected fully escaped "{{cache id="userProfile"}}{{groovy}}println("Hello from groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/cache}}".
The same vulnerability can also be exploited in all other places where short text properties are displayed, e.g., in apps created using Apps Within Minutes that use a short text field.
Patches
The problem has been patched on versions 13.10.9, 14.4.4, 14.7RC1.
Workarounds
There are no other workarounds than upgrading XWiki or patching the xwiki-commons-xml JAR file.
References
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-19793
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-19794
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XCOMMONS-2498
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.commons:xwiki-commons-xml | ≥ 3.1-milestone-1&&< 13.10.9 | 13.10.9org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml:13.10.9 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml | ≥ 14.0-rc-1&&< 14.4.4 | 14.4.4org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml:14.4.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml | ≥ 14.5&&< 14.7-rc-1 | 14.7-rc-1org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml:14.7-rc-1 |
Affected Products
commonsxwikiResearch 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.commons:xwiki-commons-xml, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml to 13.10.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-8cw6-4r32-6r3h 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-8cw6-4r32-6r3h in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.