GHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp
CRITICALorg.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui vulnerable to privilege escalation
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-flamingo-theme-ui☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-uiReal-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 the right to add an object on a 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 styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default.
Reproduction Steps
Steps to reproduce:
- As a user without script or programming rights, edit your user profile with the object editor (enable advanced mode if necessary to get access) and add an object of type "Theme Class" of "FlamingoThemesCode". In the field "body-bg" (all other fields should work, too) add the following text:
{{/html}} {{async async="true" cached="false" context="doc.reference"}}{{groovy}}println("Hello " + "from groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/async}}
- Click "Save & View"
- Open <xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/view/FlamingoThemesCode/WebHomeSheet where <xwiki-host> is the URL of your XWiki installation
Expected result:
The list of color themes either doesn't include the user's profile or displays a regular preview.
Actual result:
The user's profile is listed as color theme but instead of the little preview the message
Failed to execute the [html] macro. Cause: [When using HTML content inline, you can only use inline HTML content. Block HTML content (such as tables) cannot be displayed. Try leaving an empty line before and after the macro.]. Click on this message for details.
Hello from groovy!">
is displayed. This shows that a Groovy macro with content created by the user has been executed and thus demonstrates a privilege escalation from simple user account to programming rights.
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
Workarounds
The issue can be fixed by applying this patch on FlamingoThemesCode.WebHomeSheet.
References
- patch: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/df596f15368342236f8899ca122af8f3df0fe2e8
- Jira: https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20280
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-flamingo-theme-ui | ≥ 12.6.6&&< 13.10.11 | 13.10.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui | ≥ 14.0-rc-1&&< 14.4.7 | 14.4.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui | ≥ 14.5&&< 14.10 | 14.10 |
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-flamingo-theme-ui. 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-flamingo-theme-ui to 13.10.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp 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-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp 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-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp. 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-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.