CVE-2023-29521
Xwiki ≤ 13.10.11
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:LCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-29521 is a high-severity Injection (CWE-74) vulnerability in Xwiki Xwiki. Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).
Operationally, ranked in the top 34% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
XWiki Platform, a generic wiki platform for building applications, contains an improper escaping flaw in the Macro.VFSTreeMacro component. This allows any user with view rights to execute arbitrary Groovy, Python, or Velocity code, granting full access to the XWiki installation. The macro is not present by default, and the issue is tracked under CWE-74 with a CVSS score of 8.4.
An attacker with view rights on an affected instance can leverage the macro to run code that bypasses intended restrictions, achieving complete control over the server environment. Exploitation requires network access but no user interaction beyond the granted view permission, and the attack surface is limited to deployments where the macro has been manually added.
Official advisories from the XWiki project and the associated GitHub security notice direct users to upgrade to versions 15.0-rc-1, 14.10.2, 14.4.8, or 13.10.11, where the escaping issue has been corrected. No workarounds are documented.
The EPSS score remains flat at 0.1493 with no material increase after disclosure, and no public reports of active exploitation have been noted in the provided references.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-1363
Vulnerability Data
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with view rights can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation.…
more
The root cause is improper escaping of `Macro.VFSTreeMacro`. This page is not installed by default.This vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 15.0-rc-1, 14.10.2, 14.4.8, 13.10.11. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Developer assessments and testing (including injection-focused techniques) identify improper neutralization of special elements, and the verifiable flaw remediation corrects them pre-deployment.
Identifies indicators of injection attacks (command, SQL, LDAP, etc.) via anomaly and attack monitoring.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Logging supports detection of injection attempts but does not prevent the weakness.
Monitoring activities can identify active injection attacks after they occur.
A.8.25 mandates a secure SDLC process that includes secure coding guidelines, security requirements, checkpoints, testing (scans/penetration), and developer training to reduce injection flaws, but does not itself enforce or guarantee neutralization of special elements at runtime.
Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection attacks in software design.
A.8.27 mandates security-by-design principles (including distrust external input, data validation/sanitization, secure architecture layers, and design reviews against attack patterns) that reach injection when applied to output construction; this stops exploitation for a minority slice (e.g. where principles drive sanitization) but leaves most code-level injection defects untouched without further implementation rigor.
Secure coding standards require proper neutralization of special elements, directly addressing CWE-74.
Hardening callouts derived
DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.
- No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-74, a class-level weakness, and none of its children carries one either.