Summary
xwiki-platform vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in Annotations
Workarounds
There is no easy workaround except to upgrade.
References
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20360
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20384
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira XWiki.org
- Email us at Security Mailing List
Attribution
This vulnerability has been reported by René de Sain @renniepak.
Impact
The annotation displayer does not execute the content in a restricted context. This allows executing anything with the right of the author of any document by annotating the document.
To reproduce: add an annotation with the content {{groovy}}print "hello"{{/groovy}} and click the yellow scare to get a display of the annotation inline.
The result is "hello" but it should be an error suggesting that it's not allowed to use the groovy macro.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2023-26475 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 (13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10); 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.
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This has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-26475? CVE-2023-26475 is a critical-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-annotation-ui (maven), affecting versions >= 2.3-milestone-1, < 13.10.11. It is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
- How severe is CVE-2023-26475? CVE-2023-26475 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-annotation-ui are affected by CVE-2023-26475? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-annotation-ui (maven) versions >= 2.3-milestone-1, < 13.10.11 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-26475? Yes. CVE-2023-26475 is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-26475 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-26475 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-2023-26475 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-2023-26475?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-annotation-uito 13.10.11 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-annotation-uito 14.4.7 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-annotation-uito 14.10 or later
- Upgrade