CVE-2023-29202

org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss Cross-site Scripting vulnerability

Workarounds

If the RSS macro isn't used in the wiki, the macro can be uninstalled by deleting WEB-INF/lib/xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss-XX.jar, where XX is XWiki's version, in the web application's directory.

References

• https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/5c7ebe47c2897e92d8f04fe2e15027e84dc3ec03
• https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-19671

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

The RSS macro that is bundled in XWiki included the content of the feed items without any cleaning in the HTML output when the parameter content was set to true. This allowed arbitrary HTML and in particular also JavaScript injection and thus cross-site scripting (XSS) by specifying an RSS feed with malicious content. With the interaction of a user with programming rights, this could be used to execute arbitrary actions in the wiki, including privilege escalation, remote code execution, information disclosure, modifying or deleting content and sabotaging the wiki.

The issue can be reproduced by inserting the following XWiki syntax in any wiki page like the user account:

{{rss feed="https://xssrss.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss" content="true" /}}

If an alert is displayed when viewing the page, the wiki is vulnerable.

Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.

CVE-2023-29202 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (14.6-rc-1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

The issue has been patched in XWiki 14.6 RC1, the content of the feed is now properly cleaned before being displayed.

1. What is CVE-2023-29202? CVE-2023-29202 is a critical-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-rss (maven), affecting versions >= 1.8, <= 3.0.1. It is fixed in 14.6-rc-1. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-29202? CVE-2023-29202 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (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.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-29202?
   • org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rendering-macro-rss (maven) (versions >= 1.8, <= 3.0.1)
   • org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss (maven) (versions < 14.6-rc-1)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-29202? Yes. CVE-2023-29202 is fixed in 14.6-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-29202 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-29202 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-2023-29202 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-2023-29202? Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-rss to 14.6-rc-1 or later.