CVE-2023-40573 in XWiki
Summary
by MITRE • 08/24/2023
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. XWiki supports scheduled jobs that contain Groovy scripts. Currently, the job checks the content author of the job for programming right. However, modifying or adding a job script to a document doesn't modify the content author. Together with a CSRF vulnerability in the job scheduler, this can be exploited for remote code execution by an attacker with edit right on the wiki. If the attack is successful, an error log entry with "Job content executed" will be produced. This vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 14.10.9 and 15.4RC1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2023-40573 affects the XWiki Platform, a widely-used generic wiki platform that provides runtime services for applications built upon it. This platform supports scheduled jobs that execute Groovy scripts, making it a potentially powerful attack surface when combined with improper access control mechanisms. The flaw resides in how the system handles job execution permissions and content authorship, creating a critical security gap that can be exploited by attackers with minimal privileges.
The technical flaw stems from a mismatch between job script execution rights and document content authorship tracking. When scheduled jobs are created or modified, the system checks the content author's programming rights to determine if a job can be executed. However, the platform fails to update the content author information when job scripts are modified or added to documents. This creates a scenario where an attacker can exploit a pre-existing Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the job scheduler to inject malicious Groovy code. The CSRF vulnerability allows attackers to execute unauthorized requests on behalf of authenticated users, while the content author bypass mechanism enables the execution of scripts with elevated privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it allows attackers with merely edit rights on the wiki to achieve remote code execution on the server. This represents a privilege escalation attack where low-privilege users can gain full control over the platform's backend operations. Successful exploitation results in the creation of error log entries containing "Job content executed," which serves as an indicator that the attack has been successful. The vulnerability affects versions prior to XWiki 14.10.9 and 15.4RC1, making organizations running older versions particularly vulnerable to this attack vector.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-346, which addresses "Origin Validation Error" and represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks combined with CSRF vulnerabilities. The attack pattern follows ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for 'Command and Scripting Interpreter: Groovy' and T1566 for 'Phishing' through the CSRF exploitation method. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions, implementing proper content authorship tracking mechanisms, and strengthening CSRF protection measures. Additional defensive strategies should include monitoring for suspicious log entries, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security audits of scheduled job configurations to prevent unauthorized script execution.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining proper authorization boundaries in web applications, particularly when dealing with dynamic code execution capabilities. It highlights how seemingly minor implementation flaws in access control systems can create significant security risks when combined with other vulnerabilities. The patching process requires careful consideration of backward compatibility while ensuring that all existing jobs are properly validated and that content authorship information is consistently maintained throughout the document lifecycle.