Summary
XWiki Platform vulnerable to privilege escalation via async macro and IconThemeSheet from the user profile
Workarounds
An easy workaround is to actually fix the bug in the page IconThemesCode.IconThemeSheet by applying the following modification: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/48caf7491595238af2b531026a614221d5d61f38#diff-2ec9d716673ee049937219cdb0a92e520f81da14ea84d144504b97ab2bdae243R45
References
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-19731
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira
- Email us at Security ML
Impact
One can execute any wiki content with the right of IconThemeSheet author by creating an icon theme with the following content:
}}}
{{async async="true"}}
{{groovy}}
println("Hello from Groovy!")
{{/groovy}}
{{/async}}
{{{
Can be done by creating a new page or even through the user profile for users not having edit right.
CVE-2023-26472 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (13.10.10, 14.4.6, 14.9); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
This has been patched in XWiki 14.9, 14.4.6, and 13.10.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-26472? CVE-2023-26472 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui (maven), affecting versions >= 6.2-milestone-1, < 13.10.10. It is fixed in 13.10.10, 14.4.6, 14.9.
- How severe is CVE-2023-26472? CVE-2023-26472 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui are affected by CVE-2023-26472? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-ui (maven) versions >= 6.2-milestone-1, < 13.10.10 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-26472? Yes. CVE-2023-26472 is fixed in 13.10.10, 14.4.6, 14.9. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-26472 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-26472 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-26472 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-26472?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-uito 13.10.10 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-uito 14.4.6 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-icon-uito 14.9 or later
- Upgrade