CVE-2023-29521 Code injection from account/view through VFS Tree macro in xwiki-platform
Attackers with view rights can execute arbitrary code via VFS Tree macro, requiring upgrade to patched XWiki versions.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-29521?
CVE-2023-29521 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Xwiki Xwiki, published on 18 Apr 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with view rights 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 `Macro.VFSTreeMacro`. This page is not installed by default.This vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 15.0-rc-1, 14.10.2, 14.4.8, 13.10.11. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Weakness: CWE-74
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-29521?
6 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui Maven | From 14.0-rc-1 | 14.4.8 |
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui Maven | From 14.0-rc-1 | 14.4.8 |
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui Maven | From 14.5 | 14.10.2 |
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui Maven | From 14.5 | 14.10.2 |
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui Maven | From 7.4-milestone-2 | 13.10.11 |
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui Maven | From 7.4-milestone-2 | 13.10.11 |
Products include Xwiki Xwiki.
How do I fix CVE-2023-29521?
Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-vfs-ui to a fixed version for your release line: 14.4.8, 14.10.2 or 13.10.11.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2023-29521 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-29521 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in Xwiki Xwiki
- CVE-2025-24893 XWiki Platform Eval Injection
- CVE-2025-53836 XWiki Rendering is vulnerable to RCE attacks when processing nested macros
- CVE-2024-55662 XWiki allows remote code execution through the extension sheet
- CVE-2024-55877 XWiki allows remote code execution from account through macro descriptions and XWiki.XWikiSyntaxMacrosList
- CVE-2024-37901 XWiki Platform vulnerable to remote code execution from account via SearchSuggestConfigSheet
Sources
Also known as GHSA-p67q-h88v-5jgr.