XWiki Platform XSS vulnerability from account in the create page form via template providerGHSA-gr82-8fj2-ggc3
CRITICALFix: xwiki/xwiki-platform@ba56fdaGHSA-gr82-8fj2-ggc3 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) 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.
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-gr82-8fj2-ggc3.
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.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-web-standard☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-webReal-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
An attacker can create a template provider on any document that is part of the wiki (could be the attacker's user profile) that contains malicious code. This code is executed when this template provider is selected during document creation which can be triggered by sending the user to a URL. For the attacker, the only requirement is to have an account as by default the own user profile is editable. 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.
For reproduction, the following steps can be used:
- As a simple user with no script right, edit the user profile with the object editor and add an object of type "Template Provider Class". Set the name to "My Template", set template to any page on the wiki. In "Creation Restrictions", enter
<img onerror="alert(1)" src="https://www.example.com". Accept the suggestion to add this string in the dropdown. Click "Save & View" - As any user with edit right, open
<xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/create/Main/WebHome?parent=&templateprovider=XWiki.<username>&name=foo&spaceReference=Bar, where<xwiki-host>is the URL of your XWiki installation and<username>is the username of the attacker.
If an alert is displayed, the installation is vulnerable.
Patches
This has been patched in XWiki 14.10.12 and 15.5RC1 by adding the 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.
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates | all versions | 14.10.12org.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-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:15.5-rc-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-web-standard | ≥ 2.4-milestone-2&&< 3.1-milestone-1 | 3.1-milestone-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-web-standard:3.1-milestone-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web | ≥ 3.1-milestone-1&&< 13.4-rc-1 | 13.4-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web:13.4-rc-1 |
Affected Products
xwikixwikiResearch 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-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 GHSA-gr82-8fj2-ggc3 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-gr82-8fj2-ggc3 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.