GHSA-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c
CRITICALorg.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore makes Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs with DocumentAuthors
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.
Blast Radius
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 | 14.10 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore | ≥ 14.4.1&&< 14.4.7 | 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. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
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 pinpoints whether GHSA-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
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 detects GHSA-pwfv-3cvg-9m4c across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.