# CVE-2023-36470: Code injection in icon themes of XWiki Platform > Attackers can inject Velocity code into icon themes to achieve remote code execution with programming rights, requiring an upgrade to XWiki. - **Severity:** Critical 10.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Any signed-in user - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 29 Jun 2023 - **Updated:** 26 Nov 2024 - **Also known as:** GHSA-fm68-j7ww-h9xf ## What is CVE-2023-36470? CVE-2023-36470 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Xwiki Xwiki, published on 29 Jun 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. By either creating a new or editing an existing document with an icon set, an attacker can inject XWiki syntax and Velocity code that is executed with programming rights and thus allows remote code execution. There are different attack vectors, the simplest is the Velocity code in the icon set's HTML or XWiki syntax definition. The [icon picker](https://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Icon%20Theme%20Application#HIconPicker) can be used to trigger the rendering of any icon set. The XWiki syntax variant of the icon set is also used without any escaping in some documents, allowing to inject XWiki syntax including script macros into a document that might have programming right, for this the currently used icon theme needs to be edited. Further, the HTML output of the icon set is output as JSON in the icon picker and this JSON is interpreted as XWiki syntax, allowing again the injection of script macros into a document with programming right and thus allowing remote code execution. This impacts the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki instance. This issue has been patched in XWiki 14.10.6 and 15.1. Icon themes now require script right and the code in the icon theme is executed within the context of the icon theme, preventing any rights escalation. A macro for displaying icons has been introduced to avoid injecting the raw wiki syntax of an icon set into another document. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability. Weakness: CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-36470? 12 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default, org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script and org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui. It affects 1 product. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default` | Maven | From 15.0-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default` | Maven | From 15.0-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default` | Maven | From 6.2-milestone-1 | 14.10.6 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default` | Maven | From 6.2-milestone-1 | 14.10.6 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script` | Maven | From 15.0-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script` | Maven | From 15.0-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script` | Maven | From 6.2-milestone-1 | 14.10.6 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script` | Maven | From 6.2-milestone-1 | 14.10.6 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui` | Maven | From 15.0-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui` | Maven | From 15.0-rc-1 | 15.2-rc-1 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui` | Maven | From 6.2-milestone-1 | 14.10.6 | | `org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui` | Maven | From 6.2-milestone-1 | 14.10.6 | Products: Xwiki Xwiki. ## How do I fix CVE-2023-36470? Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default to a fixed version for your release line: 15.2-rc-1 or 14.10.6. ## Is CVE-2023-36470 being exploited? It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-36470 exists. ## Other vulnerabilities in Xwiki Xwiki - [CVE-2025-24893](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-24893/): XWiki Platform Eval Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2025-53836](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-53836/): XWiki Rendering is vulnerable to RCE attacks when processing nested macros (critical 10.0) - [CVE-2024-55662](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-55662/): XWiki allows remote code execution through the extension sheet (critical 10.0) - [CVE-2024-55877](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-55877/): XWiki allows remote code execution from account through macro descriptions and XWiki.XWikiSyntaxMacrosList (critical 10.0) - [CVE-2024-37901](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-37901/): XWiki Platform vulnerable to remote code execution from account via SearchSuggestConfigSheet (critical 10.0) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2023-36470 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2023-36470 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Xwiki Xwiki, published on 29 Jun 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-36470 exists. Affected packages and fixed versions: - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default (Maven): affected from 15.0-rc-1; fixed in 15.2-rc-1 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default (Maven): affected from 15.0-rc-1; fixed in 15.2-rc-1 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default (Maven): affected from 6.2-milestone-1; fixed in 14.10.6 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-default (Maven): affected from 6.2-milestone-1; fixed in 14.10.6 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script (Maven): affected from 15.0-rc-1; fixed in 15.2-rc-1 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script (Maven): affected from 15.0-rc-1; fixed in 15.2-rc-1 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script (Maven): affected from 6.2-milestone-1; fixed in 14.10.6 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-script (Maven): affected from 6.2-milestone-1; fixed in 14.10.6 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui (Maven): affected from 15.0-rc-1; fixed in 15.2-rc-1 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui (Maven): affected from 15.0-rc-1; fixed in 15.2-rc-1 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui (Maven): affected from 6.2-milestone-1; fixed in 14.10.6 - org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui (Maven): affected from 6.2-milestone-1; fixed in 14.10.6 Task: 1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies. 2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it. 3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead. 4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why. 5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing. Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36470/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36470/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-36470 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36470 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-36470 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36470/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.