CVE-2023-29521 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This article provides an overview of CVE-2023-29521, a code injection vulnerability in the xwiki-platform with potential high severity impact.

Understanding CVE-2023-29521

This vulnerability, assigned CVE-2023-29521, involves code injection from account/view through the VFS Tree macro in xwiki-platform.

What is CVE-2023-29521?

The CVE-2023-29521 vulnerability in the XWiki Platform allows any user with view rights to execute arbitrary Groovy, Python, or Velocity code, leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause of this vulnerability is the improper escaping of

Macro.VFSTreeMacro

. It is important to note that this page is not installed by default.

The Impact of CVE-2023-29521

The impact of CVE-2023-29521 is rated as high severity, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4. The confidentiality, integrity, and privilege of the affected system are at high risk, with a low impact on availability.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-29521

This section delves into the specific technical details of the CVE-2023-29521 vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability stems from the improper neutralization of special elements in output used by a downstream component, categorized under CWE-74.

Affected Systems and Versions

The xwiki-platform versions affected by CVE-2023-29521 include versions below 13.10.11, versions between 14.0.0 and 14.4.8, as well as versions between 14.5.0 and 14.10.2.

Exploitation Mechanism

The exploitation of this vulnerability involves leveraging the VFS Tree macro in xwiki-platform to inject malicious code and gain unauthorized access.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address the CVE-2023-29521 vulnerability, it is crucial to implement appropriate mitigation strategies and preventive measures.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are strongly advised to upgrade their XWiki installations to the patched versions, including XWiki 15.0-rc-1, 14.10.2, 14.4.8, and 13.10.11. It is essential to apply these updates promptly to mitigate the risk of exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

In the long term, organizations should follow security best practices such as regular security assessments, code reviews, and user access management to prevent similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Regularly monitor for security updates from XWiki and apply patches promptly to ensure that the xwiki-platform remains secure against potential threats.