GHSA-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.1) CWE-648 vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore — see the affected versions and patch details below.
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore makes Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs with DocumentAuthors
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-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c.
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-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c 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 377,166 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-oldcore☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcoreReal-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
The Document script API returns directly a DocumentAuthors allowing to set any authors to the document, which in consequence can allow subsequent executions of scripts since this author is used for checking rights. Example of such attack:
{{velocity}}
$doc.setContent('{{velocity}}$xcontext.context.authorReference{{/velocity}}')
$doc.authors.setContentAuthor('xwiki:XWiki.superadmin')
$doc.getRenderedContent()
{{/velocity}}
Patches
The problem has been patched in XWiki 14.10 and 14.4.7 by returning a safe script API.
Workarounds
There no easy workaround apart of upgrading.
References
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20380
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/905cdd7c421dbf8c565557cdc773ab1aa9028f83
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira
- Email us at security ML
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 14.5&&< 14.10 | 14.10org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore:14.10 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 14.4.1&&< 14.4.7 | 14.4.7org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore:14.4.7 |
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-oldcore, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore to 14.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c 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-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c. 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-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.