CVE-2023-50723: Xwiki platform administration ui Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qj86-p74r-7wp5
CVSS 9.9
CWE-94 CWE-95
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-50723 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.9) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Xwiki platform administration ui libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves remote code execution/programming rights with configuration section from any user account. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1.

CVE-2023-50723 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-50723
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qj86-p74r-7wp5
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.9
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Xwiki platform administration ui
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-50723

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Xwiki platform administration ui dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui fixed: 14.10.15
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.xwiki.platform</groupId>
    <artifactId>xwiki-platform-administration-ui</artifactId>
    <version>14.10.15</version>
</dependency>
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui fixed: 15.5.2
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.xwiki.platform</groupId>
    <artifactId>xwiki-platform-administration-ui</artifactId>
    <version>15.5.2</version>
</dependency>
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui fixed: 15.7-rc-1
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.xwiki.platform</groupId>
    <artifactId>xwiki-platform-administration-ui</artifactId>
    <version>15.7-rc-1</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.xwiki.platform

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-50723, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.xwiki.platform

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Xwiki platform administration ui in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 14.10.15), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.xwiki.platform command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Xwiki platform administration ui, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact Anyone who can edit an arbitrary wiki page in an XWiki installation can gain programming right through several cases of missing escaping in the code for displaying sections in the administration interface. This impacts the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki installation. Normally, all users are allowed to edit their own user profile so this should be exploitable by all users of the XWiki instance. The easiest way to reproduce this is to edit any document with the object editor and add an object of type `XWiki.ConfigurableClass` ("Custom configurable sections"). Set "Display in section" and "Display in Category" to "other", set scope to "Wiki and all spaces" and "Heading" to `{{async}}{{groovy}}services.logging.getLogger("attacker").error("Attack from Heading succeeded!"); println("Hello from Groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/async}}`. Click "Save". Open `<xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/view/Main/?sheet=XWiki.AdminSheet&viewer=content&editor=globaladmin&section=other` where `<xwiki-host>` is the URL of your XWiki installation. If this displays just "Hello from Groovy!" in a heading and generates an error message with content "Attack from Heading succeeded!" in XWiki's log, the attack succeeded. Similar attacks are also possible by creating this kind of object on a document with a specially crafted name, see the referenced Jira issues for more reproduction steps. ### Patches This has been fixed in XWiki 14.10.15, 15.5.2 and 15.7RC1 ### Workarounds It is possible to manually apply the fixes for the vulnerability by editing two pages in the wiki. [This patch](https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/bd82be936c21b65dee367d558e3050b9b6995713#diff-0c8db1bc71d4e1508c0667050741827551ba130f324b3213352bc4a67645f648) needs to be applied to the page `XWiki.ConfigurableClassMacros`. Further, the following patches need to be applied to the page `XWiki.ConfigurableClass`: * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/749f6aee1bfbcf191c3734ea0aa9eba3aa63240e#diff-bf419a99140f3c12fd78ea30f855b63cfb74c1c976ff4436898266d9b37ad3ce * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/1157c1ecea395aac7f64cd8a6f484b1225416dc7#diff-bf419a99140f3c12fd78ea30f855b63cfb74c1c976ff4436898266d9b37ad3ce * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/0f367aaae4e0696f61cf5a67a75edd27d1d16db6 Note that also the page `XWiki.ConfigurableClass` needs to be changed to `xwiki/2.1` syntax for the escaping to work properly but the security vulnerability is fixed also without changing the syntax. ### References * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/bd82be936c21b65dee367d558e3050b9b6995713 * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/749f6aee1bfbcf191c3734ea0aa9eba3aa63240e * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/1157c1ecea395aac7f64cd8a6f484b1225416dc7 * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/0f367aaae4e0696f61cf5a67a75edd27d1d16db6 * https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21122 * https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21121 * https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21194

CVE-2023-50723 Affected Xwiki platform administration ui Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
14.10.1515.5.215.7-rc-1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui
Maven
≥ 2.3
< 14.10.15
14.10.15
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui
Maven
≥ 15.0-rc-1
< 15.5.2
15.5.2
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui
Maven
≥ 15.6-rc-1
< 15.7-rc-1
15.7-rc-1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-50723?
CVE-2023-50723 is a security vulnerability in Xwiki platform administration ui involving Remote code execution/programming rights with configuration section from any user account under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Xwiki platform administration ui versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1 across affected packages: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui.
What version fixes CVE-2023-50723?
Upgrading to 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xwiki-platform-administration-ui affected?
Yes, org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-administration-ui is affected in releases prior to 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1. Upgrade your dependency to 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-50723?
CVE-2023-50723 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.9 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-50723?
CVE-2023-50723 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-50723?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.xwiki.platform'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
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  "id" : "GHSA-qj86-p74r-7wp5",
  "modified" : "2023-12-16T00:40:04Z",
  "published" : "2023-12-16T00:40:04Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-50723" ],
  "summary" : "Remote code execution/programming rights with configuration section from any user account",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nAnyone who can edit an arbitrary wiki page in an XWiki installation can gain programming right through several cases of missing escaping in the code for displaying sections in the administration interface. This impacts the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki installation. Normally, all users are allowed to edit their own user profile so this should be exploitable by all users of the XWiki instance.\n\nThe easiest way to reproduce this is to edit any document with the object editor and add an object of type `XWiki.ConfigurableClass` (\"Custom configurable sections\"). Set \"Display in section\" and \"Display in Category\" to \"other\", set scope to \"Wiki and all spaces\" and \"Heading\" to `{{async}}{{groovy}}services.logging.getLogger(\"attacker\").error(\"Attack from Heading succeeded!\"); println(\"Hello from Groovy!\"){{/groovy}}{{/async}}`. Click \"Save\". Open `<xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/view/Main/?sheet=XWiki.AdminSheet&viewer=content&editor=globaladmin&section=other` where `<xwiki-host>` is the URL of your XWiki installation. If this displays just \"Hello from Groovy!\" in a heading and generates an error message with content \"Attack from Heading succeeded!\" in XWiki's log, the attack succeeded. Similar attacks are also possible by creating this kind of object on a document with a specially crafted name, see the referenced Jira issues for more reproduction steps.\n\n### Patches\nThis has been fixed in XWiki 14.10.15, 15.5.2 and 15.7RC1\n\n### Workarounds\n\nIt is possible to manually apply the fixes for the vulnerability by editing two pages in the wiki. [This patch](https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/bd82be936c21b65dee367d558e3050b9b6995713#diff-0c8db1bc71d4e1508c0667050741827551ba130f324b3213352bc4a67645f648) needs to be applied to the page `XWiki.ConfigurableClassMacros`. Further, the following patches need to be applied to the page `XWiki.ConfigurableClass`:\n\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/749f6aee1bfbcf191c3734ea0aa9eba3aa63240e#diff-bf419a99140f3c12fd78ea30f855b63cfb74c1c976ff4436898266d9b37ad3ce\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/1157c1ecea395aac7f64cd8a6f484b1225416dc7#diff-bf419a99140f3c12fd78ea30f855b63cfb74c1c976ff4436898266d9b37ad3ce\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/0f367aaae4e0696f61cf5a67a75edd27d1d16db6\n\nNote that also the page `XWiki.ConfigurableClass` needs to be changed to `xwiki/2.1` syntax for the escaping to work properly but the security vulnerability is fixed also without changing the syntax.\n\n### References\n\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/bd82be936c21b65dee367d558e3050b9b6995713\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/749f6aee1bfbcf191c3734ea0aa9eba3aa63240e\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/1157c1ecea395aac7f64cd8a6f484b1225416dc7\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/0f367aaae4e0696f61cf5a67a75edd27d1d16db6\n* https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21122\n* https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21121\n* https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21194",
  "severity" : [ {
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  } ],
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    },
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  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
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    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
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    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-12-16T00:40:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-12-15T19:15:10Z"
  }
}