GHSA-m2r5-4w96-qxg5 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.9) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Arbitrary file access through XML parsing in org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml
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-m2r5-4w96-qxg5 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.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
It's possible in a script to access any file accessing to the user running XWiki application server with XML External Entity Injection through the XML script service.
For example:
{{velocity}}
#set($xml=$services.get('xml'))
#set($xxe_payload = "<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><!DOCTYPE root[<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM 'file:///etc/passwd' >]><root><foo>&xxe;</foo></root>")
#set($doc=$xml.parse($xxe_payload))
$xml.serialize($doc)
{{/velocity}}
Patches
The problem has been patched on versions 12.10.10, 13.4.4 and 13.8RC1.
Workarounds
There's no easy workaround for fixing this vulnerability other than upgrading and being careful when giving Script rights.
References
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-18946
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira XWiki
- Email us at XWiki Security mailing-list
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml | ≥ 2.7&&< 12.10.10 | 12.10.10org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml:12.10.10 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml | ≥ 13.0.0&&< 13.4.4 | 13.4.4org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml:13.4.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml | ≥ 13.5-rc-1&&< 13.8-rc-1 | 13.8-rc-1org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml:13.8-rc-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.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 12.10.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-m2r5-4w96-qxg5 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-m2r5-4w96-qxg5 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-m2r5-4w96-qxg5. 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-m2r5-4w96-qxg5 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-m2r5-4w96-qxg5 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.