CVE-2021-29459: Xwiki platform oldcore Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5c66-v29h-xjh8
CVSS 9.6
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-29459 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.6) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Xwiki platform oldcore libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves xss cross site scripting. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 12.6.3, 12.8.

CVE-2021-29459 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-29459
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5c66-v29h-xjh8
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.6
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Xwiki platform oldcore
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.6

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-29459

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Xwiki platform oldcore 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-oldcore fixed: 12.6.3
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.xwiki.platform</groupId>
    <artifactId>xwiki-platform-oldcore</artifactId>
    <version>12.6.3</version>
</dependency>
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore fixed: 12.8
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.xwiki.platform</groupId>
    <artifactId>xwiki-platform-oldcore</artifactId>
    <version>12.8</version>
</dependency>
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web fixed: 12.6.3
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.xwiki.platform</groupId>
    <artifactId>xwiki-platform-web</artifactId>
    <version>12.6.3</version>
</dependency>
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web fixed: 12.8
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.xwiki.platform</groupId>
    <artifactId>xwiki-platform-web</artifactId>
    <version>12.8</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-2021-29459, 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 oldcore in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 12.6.3), 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Xwiki platform oldcore, 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 It is possible to persistently inject scripts in XWiki. For unregistred users: - By filling simple text fields For registered users: - By filling their personal information - (if they have edit rights) By filling the values of static lists using App Within Minutes That can lead to user's session hijacking, and if used in conjunction with a social engineering attack it can also lead to disclosure of sensitive data, CSRF attacks and other security vulnerabilities. That can also lead to the attacker taking over an account. If the victim has administrative rights it might even lead to code execution on the server, depending on the application and the privileges of the account. ### Patches It has been patched on XWiki 12.8 and 12.6.3. ### Workarounds There is no easy workaround except upgrading XWiki. ### References https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-17374 ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open an issue in [Jira XWiki](https://jira.xwiki.org) * Email us at our [security mailing list](mailto:security@xwiki.org)

CVE-2021-29459 Affected Xwiki platform oldcore Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
12.6.312.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore
Maven
< 12.6.3
12.6.3
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore
Maven
≥ 12.6.4
< 12.8
12.8
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web
Maven
< 12.6.3
12.6.3
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web
Maven
≥ 12.6.4
< 12.8
12.8

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-29459?
CVE-2021-29459 is a security vulnerability in Xwiki platform oldcore involving XSS Cross Site Scripting under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Xwiki platform oldcore versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 12.6.3, 12.8 across affected packages: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore, org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web.
What version fixes CVE-2021-29459?
Upgrading to 12.6.3, 12.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xwiki-platform-oldcore affected?
Yes, org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore is affected in releases prior to 12.6.3, 12.8. Upgrade your dependency to 12.6.3, 12.8 or later.
Is xwiki-platform-web affected?
Yes, org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web is affected in releases prior to 12.6.3, 12.8. Upgrade your dependency to 12.6.3, 12.8 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-29459?
CVE-2021-29459 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.6 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-29459?
CVE-2021-29459 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-29459?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-5c66-v29h-xjh8",
  "modified" : "2021-04-20T18:36:33Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-22T16:11:55Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-29459" ],
  "summary" : "XSS Cross Site Scripting",
  "details" : "### Impact\nIt is possible to persistently inject scripts in XWiki.\n\nFor unregistred users:\n- By filling simple text fields\n\nFor registered users:\n- By filling their personal information\n- (if they have edit rights) By filling the values of static lists using App Within Minutes\n\nThat can lead to user's session hijacking, and if used in conjunction with a social engineering attack it can also lead to disclosure of sensitive data, CSRF attacks and other security vulnerabilities.\nThat can also lead to the attacker taking over an account.\nIf the victim has administrative rights it might even lead to code execution on the server, depending on the application and the privileges of the account.\n### Patches\nIt has been patched on XWiki 12.8 and 12.6.3.\n\n### Workarounds\nThere is no easy workaround except upgrading XWiki.\n\n### References\nhttps://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-17374\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n  * Open an issue in [Jira XWiki](https://jira.xwiki.org)\n  * Email us at our [security mailing list](mailto:security@xwiki.org)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.6.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "12.6.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.6.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "12.6.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-5c66-v29h-xjh8"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-29459"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-20T18:36:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-04-20T19:15:00Z"
  }
}