CVE-2023-29210 in xwiki-platform-notifications-ui
Summary
by MITRE • 04/15/2023
XWiki Commons are technical libraries common to several other top level XWiki projects. Any user with view rights on commonly accessible documents including the notification preferences macros 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 user parameter of the macro that provide the notification filters. These macros are used in the user profiles and thus installed by default in XWiki. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-29210 affects XWiki Commons, which serves as foundational technical libraries supporting multiple top-level XWiki projects. This issue represents a critical security flaw that allows authenticated users with view permissions on accessible documents to execute arbitrary code within the XWiki environment. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within notification preferences macros, specifically in how user parameters are handled when rendering notification filters. These macros are inherently part of the default XWiki installation and are utilized in user profiles, making them widely accessible and potentially exploitable across standard deployments.
The technical flaw manifests in improper escaping of user-supplied parameters within the notification preference macros, creating a code injection vector that enables execution of Groovy, Python, or Velocity code. This represents a classic server-side code injection vulnerability that falls under CWE-94 - Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only view rights on specific documents, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by users who should normally have limited privileges. Attackers can manipulate macro parameters to inject malicious code that executes within the context of the XWiki server, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with full access to the XWiki installation, enabling them to read, modify, or delete any content accessible through the application. This includes sensitive user data, configuration files, and potentially system resources. The default installation of these macros in user profiles means that the vulnerability affects a large number of XWiki deployments without requiring additional configuration or setup. The attack surface is further expanded because the notification preferences are commonly used features that users interact with regularly, increasing the likelihood of successful exploitation. This vulnerability essentially allows privilege escalation from view-only users to full administrative access, making it particularly concerning for organizations relying on XWiki for content management and collaboration.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions 13.10.11, 14.4.7, or 14.10 to remediate this vulnerability. The patch addresses the root cause by implementing proper input sanitization and parameter escaping for user-supplied values in notification preference macros. Security administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit user privileges where possible, though this represents a temporary mitigation rather than a permanent fix. Monitoring for suspicious macro usage patterns and unauthorized access attempts to notification preference features should be implemented as part of defensive measures. Additionally, organizations should review their user permission models to ensure that view-only users do not have access to documents containing notification preference macros, particularly in environments where privilege separation is critical. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of validating and sanitizing all user inputs, especially in macros and template systems where code execution is possible, aligning with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity guidelines.