CVE-2023-29507 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2023-29507, a vulnerability found in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore that makes incorrect use of privileged APIs with DocumentAuthors.

Understanding CVE-2023-29507

CVE-2023-29507 is a critical vulnerability with a base score of 9.1 due to its high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability stems from the incorrect use of privileged APIs in XWiki Commons relating to DocumentAuthors.

What is CVE-2023-29507?

XWiki Commons are technical libraries common to several other top-level XWiki projects. The issue arises from the Document script API returning a DocumentAuthors directly, enabling the setting of any authors to the document. This can potentially lead to subsequent script executions as the author is used for rights validation. The problem has been addressed in XWiki versions 14.10 and 14.4.7 by implementing a secure script API.

The Impact of CVE-2023-29507

The impact of CVE-2023-29507 is severe, with a critical base severity rating. It allows for unauthorized script executions, posing significant risks to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-29507

The vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore arises from the incorrect use of privileged APIs, leading to potential exploitation of DocumentAuthors.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows setting any authors to a document through the Document script API, potentially enabling unauthorized script executions due to insufficient checks on rights validation.

Affected Systems and Versions

XWiki-platform versions >=14.5 and <14.10, as well as >=14.4.1 and <14.4.7, are impacted by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploitation of CVE-2023-29507 involves leveraging the ability to set arbitrary authors to a document to conduct unauthorized script executions, compromising system security.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2023-29507, immediate steps should be taken, followed by the implementation of long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update to XWiki versions 14.10 or 14.4.7 to apply the necessary patches and mitigate the vulnerability.
Review and restrict access to privileged APIs and DocumentAuthors to authorized personnel only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Conduct regular security audits and code reviews to identify and address any potential misuse of privileged APIs.
Educate development teams on secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Regularly check for security advisories and updates from XWiki to ensure that the latest patches for vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-29507 are applied promptly.