GHSA-h5j3-5x63-p8jv is a high-severity (CVSS 8.5) Improper Authentication vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates — see the affected versions and patch details below.
XWiki Platform Web Templates vulnerable to Unauthorized User Registration Through the Distribution Wizard
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-h5j3-5x63-p8jv.
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-h5j3-5x63-p8jv 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 376,715 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-web-templates☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates☕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
By passing a template of the distribution wizard to the xpart template, user accounts can be created even when user registration is disabled. This also circumvents any email verification. Before versions 14.2 and 13.10.4, this can also be exploited on a private wiki, thus potentially giving the attacker access to the wiki. Depending on the configured default rights of users, this could also give attackers write access to an otherwise read-only public wiki. Users can also be created when an external authentication system like LDAP is configured, but authentication fails unless the authentication system supports a bypass/local accounts are enabled in addition to the external authentication system.
Patches
This issue has been patched in XWiki 13.10.5 and 14.3RC1.
Workarounds
It is possible to replace xpart.vm, the entry point for this attack, by a patched version from the patch without updating XWiki.
References
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-web-templates | all versions | 13.10.5org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:13.10.5 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web | ≥ 8.0-rc-1&&< 13.10.5 | 13.10.5org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web:13.10.5 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates | ≥ 14.0&&< 14.3-rc-1 | 14.3-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:14.3-rc-1 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web | ≥ 14.0&&< 14.3-rc-1 | 14.3-rc-1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web:14.3-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-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 13.10.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h5j3-5x63-p8jv 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-h5j3-5x63-p8jv can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-h5j3-5x63-p8jv. 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-h5j3-5x63-p8jv in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-h5j3-5x63-p8jv across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.