GHSA-hg5x-3w3x-7g96 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) CWE-74 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates. 2 public exploit references exist, 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.
xwiki-platform-web-templates vulnerable to Eval Injection
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-hg5x-3w3x-7g96.
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-hg5x-3w3x-7g96 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 379,145 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-templates☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templatesReal-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 edit rights on a page (e.g., it's own user page), can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the information loaded from attachments in imported.vm, importinline.vm, and packagelist.vm. This page is installed by default.
Reproduction steps are described in https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20267
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 15.0-rc-1, 14.10.1, 14.4.8, and 13.10.11.
Workarounds
The issue can be fixed by applying this patch on imported.vm, importinline.vm, and packagelist.vm.
References
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/e4bbdc23fea0be4ef1921d1a58648028ce753344
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20267
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 | ≥ 1.0B1&&< 13.10.11 | 13.10.11org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:13.10.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates | ≥ 14.0-rc-1&&< 14.4.8 | 14.4.8org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:14.4.8 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates | ≥ 14.5&&< 14.10.1 | 14.10.1org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates:14.10.1 |
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-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 13.10.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-hg5x-3w3x-7g96 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-hg5x-3w3x-7g96 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-hg5x-3w3x-7g96. 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-hg5x-3w3x-7g96 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-hg5x-3w3x-7g96 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.