CVE-2023-27480

XWiki Platform vulnerable to data leak via Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

Any user with edit rights on a document can trigger a XAR import on a forged XAR file, leading to the ability to display the content of any file on the XWiki server host.

Example to reproduce:

• Create a forget XAR file and inside it, have the following package.xml content:

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  <!DOCTYPE foo [ <!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd"> ]>
  
  <package>
  <infos>
  <name>&xxe;</name>
  <description> &xxe; Helper pages for creating and listing Class/Template/Sheets</description>
  <licence></licence>
  <author>XWiki.Admin</author>
  ...
  

• Upload it onto a wiki page (e.g. XXE) as an attachment (e.g. test.xar).
• Call the page using http://localhost:8080/xwiki/bin/view/Main/XXE?sheet=XWiki.AdminImportSheet&file=test.xar

You'll then notice that the displayed UI contains the content of the /etc/passwd file.

An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs. Typical impact: local file disclosure, server-side request forgery, or denial of service.

CVE-2023-27480 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). 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-rc-1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

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The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10-rc-1.

1. What is CVE-2023-27480? CVE-2023-27480 is a high-severity XML external entity injection (XXE) vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-xar-model (maven), affecting versions >= 1.1-milestone-3, < 13.10.11. It is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10-rc-1. An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-27480? CVE-2023-27480 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). 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.
3. Which versions of org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-xar-model are affected by CVE-2023-27480? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-xar-model (maven) versions >= 1.1-milestone-3, < 13.10.11 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-27480? Yes. CVE-2023-27480 is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-27480 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-27480 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-27480 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-27480?
   • Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-xar-model to 13.10.11 or later
   • Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-xar-model to 14.4.7 or later
   • Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-xar-model to 14.10-rc-1 or later