CVE-2023-31126 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

XWiki Commons XML library, specifically

org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml

, is susceptible to an improper neutralization of invalid characters in data attribute names vulnerability. This vulnerability, identified with CWE-86, allows for cross-site scripting due to the injection of arbitrary HTML code via invalid data attributes.

Understanding CVE-2023-31126

What is CVE-2023-31126?

The vulnerability in

org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-xml

impacts versions greater than or equal to 14.6-rc-1 and less than 14.10.4, enabling attackers to execute cross-site scripting attacks through the injection of malicious HTML code.

The Impact of CVE-2023-31126

The vulnerability poses a critical threat with a CVSS base score of 9.1, allowing attackers to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems with low privileges required.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-31126

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from the HTML sanitizer in XWiki, which fails to properly sanitize data attributes, leading to the inclusion of forbidden characters and potential XSS vulnerabilities.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: xwiki
Product: xwiki-commons
Affected Versions: >= 14.6-rc-1, < 14.10.4

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious HTML code containing invalid data attribute names, leveraging the improper validation process to execute cross-site scripting attacks.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

To mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2023-31126, users are strongly advised to update their XWiki installations to version 14.10.4 or 15.0 RC1, where the issue has been addressed and resolved.

Long-Term Security Practices

In the long term, organizations should adopt a proactive approach to application security by regularly updating software components, implementing secure coding practices, and conducting comprehensive security assessments to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely patching of XWiki to the latest version containing the fix for CVE-2023-31126 to protect against potential exploitation and maintain the security of your XWiki deployment.