CVE-2023-50720 in XWiki
Summary
by MITRE • 12/15/2023
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Prior to versions 14.10.15, 15.5.2, and 15.7-rc-1, the Solr-based search in XWiki discloses the email addresses of users even when obfuscation of email addresses is enabled. To demonstrate the vulnerability, search for `objcontent:email*` using XWiki's regular search interface. This has been fixed in XWiki 14.10.15, 15.5.2 and 15.7RC1 by not indexing email address properties when obfuscation is enabled. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2023-50720 affects the XWiki Platform, a widely-used generic wiki platform that serves as a collaborative environment for content management and knowledge sharing. This security flaw resides within the Solr-based search functionality of XWiki, which is designed to provide powerful full-text search capabilities across wiki content. The vulnerability specifically targets the platform's handling of user email addresses when search indexing is enabled, creating a significant privacy and security risk for organizations relying on XWiki for their collaborative workflows. The issue impacts versions prior to 14.10.15, 15.5.2, and 15.7-rc-1, indicating that the vulnerability has existed for several release cycles and potentially affected numerous deployments.
The technical flaw manifests in the search indexing mechanism where email addresses are inadvertently exposed through the Solr search engine even when email address obfuscation is enabled within the XWiki platform configuration. When users enable email obfuscation, the system should prevent direct exposure of email addresses in search results and indexes, but the vulnerability allows attackers to bypass this protection mechanism. The demonstration method involves searching for `objcontent:email*` through XWiki's standard search interface, which reveals user email addresses that should otherwise be protected. This occurs because the search functionality continues to index email properties in the Solr database regardless of the obfuscation settings, creating a direct information disclosure channel. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in data protection and access control mechanisms, aligning with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and potentially CWE-359 (Privacy Violation).
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, creating risks for organizations that rely on XWiki for sensitive collaborative environments. When email addresses are exposed through search functionality, it can lead to targeted phishing attacks, spam campaigns, and social engineering attempts against users. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations with large user bases where email addresses are used for authentication and communication purposes. Attackers can leverage this information to conduct credential stuffing attacks, send targeted malicious emails, or perform reconnaissance for more sophisticated attacks. The exposure of user email addresses through search interfaces also violates privacy principles and may contravene data protection regulations such as GDPR or similar privacy frameworks that require organizations to implement appropriate safeguards for personal data. This vulnerability essentially undermines the platform's security posture by creating an unintended information leakage channel that bypasses the intended privacy controls.
The fix implemented in versions 14.10.15, 15.5.2, and 15.7RC1 addresses the root cause by modifying the indexing behavior to prevent email address properties from being indexed when obfuscation is enabled. This solution directly addresses the technical flaw by ensuring that the search engine indexing process respects the platform's privacy settings and configuration options. The remediation approach aligns with security best practices for information protection and demonstrates proper separation between data presentation and data storage mechanisms. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to these fixed versions as there are no known workarounds for this vulnerability, making the upgrade the only effective mitigation strategy. Security teams should also conduct thorough assessments of their existing XWiki deployments to identify affected versions and ensure comprehensive patching across all instances. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper access control implementation in search systems and the need for regular security assessments of collaborative platforms to prevent unintended information disclosure through indexing mechanisms. The fix represents a proper defense-in-depth approach that ensures configuration settings are respected throughout the platform's data processing pipeline, preventing the exposure of sensitive user information through search functionality.