CVE-2023-40176 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2023-40176, a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in XWiki Platform that allows attackers to execute malicious scripts via the user profile's timezone displayer.

Understanding CVE-2023-40176

This section delves into the nature and impact of the vulnerability in XWiki Platform.

What is CVE-2023-40176?

The CVE-2023-40176 vulnerability in XWiki Platform enables registered users to exploit a stored XSS by injecting malicious scripts into the time zone user preference selection. The unescaped payload executes when any user visits the malicious profile, potentially leading to information theft and increased access rights.

The Impact of CVE-2023-40176

The critical vulnerability affects XWiki versions from 4.1-milestone-2 to 14.10.5, allowing attackers to perform unauthorized actions and escalate privileges via the XSS exploit.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-40176

This section provides in-depth technical insights into the vulnerability, including its description, affected systems, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

XWiki Platform users can leverage the XSS flaw by manipulating the timezone user preference to execute malicious code, posing a significant security risk to the platform.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability impacts XWiki versions from 4.1-milestone-2 to 14.10.5, leaving a wide range of systems susceptible to XSS attacks through the user profile's timezone displayer.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit the vulnerability by injecting malicious scripts into the time zone user preference, which executes when unsuspecting users access the compromised profile.

Mitigation and Prevention

In this section, we discuss steps to mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2023-40176 and prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users of XWiki Platform are advised to upgrade to versions 14.10.5 or 15.1RC1 to address the vulnerability and prevent potential XSS attacks through the user profile's timezone settings.

Long-Term Security Practices

To enhance platform security, users should enforce strict input validation, output encoding, and security headers to mitigate XSS vulnerabilities and protect against similar exploits.

Patching and Updates

Regularly updating XWiki Platform to the latest secure versions is crucial to patch known vulnerabilities and ensure a resilient defense against XSS attacks.