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XWiki Realtime WYSIWYG Editor extension allows privilege escalation (PR) through realtime WYSIWYG editing

Critical severity GitHub Reviewed Published Jan 14, 2025 in xwiki/xwiki-platform • Updated Jan 14, 2025

Package

maven org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-ui (Maven)

Affected versions

>= 13.9-rc-1, < 15.10.12
>= 16.0.0-rc-1, < 16.4.1
>= 16.5.0-rc-1, < 16.6.0-rc-1

Patched versions

15.10.12
16.4.1
16.6.0-rc-1

Description

Impact

NOTE: The Realtime WYSIWYG Editor extension was experimental, and thus not recommended, in the versions affected by this vulnerability. It has become enabled by default, and thus recommended, starting with XWiki 16.9.0.

A user with only edit right can join a realtime editing session where others, that where already there or that may join later, have script or programming access rights. This user can then insert script rendering macros that are executed for those users in the realtime session that have script or programming rights. The inserted scripts can be used to gain more access rights.

Here's an example that works with XWiki 15.10.9+ and 16.2.0+:

  • the attacker starts editing a wiki page in realtime (for which they have edit right)
  • another user, with script or programming access right joins the editing session (e.g. by clicking on a link / URL provided by the attacker)
  • the attacker inserts a script rendering macro, say {{velocity}}I can run scripts{{/velocity}}, in the edited content, using the WYSIWYG editor UI
  • the edited content is reloaded for both the attacker and the other user, in order to render the inserted macro
    • the attacker gets a rendering error message
    • the other user sees "I can run scripts"

The attacker can obviously use more advanced scripts to gain access rights.

Before XWiki 15.10.9 and 16.2.0 the edited content was not re-rendered for all the users in the editing sesesion, but only for the user that inserted the macro. This means that in order to reproduce the problem the other user had to insert or update a macro or save and view the content.

Patches

This vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 15.10.12, 16.4.1 and 16.6.0-rc-1.

Workarounds

To avoid this vulnerability you can:

References

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

References

@mflorea mflorea published to xwiki/xwiki-platform Jan 14, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Jan 14, 2025
Reviewed Jan 14, 2025
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Jan 14, 2025
Last updated Jan 14, 2025

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2025-23025

GHSA ID

GHSA-rmm7-r7wr-xpfg

Source code

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